MOVIE RATING SCALE:

***** (Spectacular) 10

****1/2 (Excellent) 9

**** (Very Good) 8

***1/2 (Good) 7

*** (Above Average) 6

**1/2 (Average) 5

** (Below Average) 4

*1/2 (Mediocre) 3

* (Awful) 2

1/2 (Abysmal) 1

0 (Worthless) 0


Sunday, January 3, 2016

# 621 - THE FINAL GIRLS

THE FINAL GIRLS (2015 - HORROR SPOOF / COMEDY) **** out of *****  OR  8 out of 10

(Open season on Movie Nerds....)



CAST: Taissa Farmiga, Malin Akerman, Alexander Ludwig, Alie Shawkat, Nina Dobrev, Thomas Middleditch, Adam DeVine, Angela Trimbur, Troy Thompson, Chloe Bridges.

DIRECTOR:  Todd Strauss-Schulson

WARNING:  Some SPOILERS and some compelling reasons to go on a FRIDAY THE 13TH/HALLOWEEN movie marathon - straight ahead....



IT'S LIKE THIS:  In this mash-up of FRIDAY THE 13TH, HALLOWEEN, and THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIR0, five teens finds themselves "magically" transported from the theater audience of a Slasher Movie Marathon - and into the film itself.  The movie they were watching is called, erm, CAMP BLOODBATH, and let's just say that it's no pleasant romantic comedy.  In other words, not the kind of movie I'd want to be swept into.  Give me DIVERGENT or PRETTY WOMAN anyday.

Anyhow, our five unfortunate teens are: (1) Max Cartwright (Taissa Farmiga), nice girl and daughter of dead Horror Movie Scream Queen Amanda Cartwright (Malin Akerman) who also stars in the movie so mother and daughter sort of havew a reunion (don't think about it - it'll give you a headache); (2) Vicki Summers (Nina Dobrev), bitchy former friend of Max's who has a tonque sharper than an expensive Santoku knife; (3) Chris Briggs (Alexander Ludwig), hot blond jock who is also a nice guy with a serious woody for Max; (4) Duncan (Thomas Middleditch), uber-movie nerd who eats, breathes, and shits movie trivia - ahem; and last but certainly the goofiest (5) Gertie Michaels, Max's quirky best friends who should really rethink that perm.  

Max, Chris, Vicki, Duncan, and Gertie suddenly find themselves rubbing elbows with the ill-fated camp counselors of CAMP BLOODBATH, which include (1) Curt (Adam DeVine), asshole who claims to be a jock but has an even bigger potbelly than me; (2) Tina (Angela Trimbur), token whore whose hands are constantly trying to rip her own clothes off; (3) Paula (Chloe Bridges), designated "Final Girl" - AKA the last person standing who battles the killer to the death; (4) Blake (Troy Thompson), token ethnic character to make the producers look like they care about diversity; and last but definitely most important: (5) Nancy (Amanda Cartwright AKA Malin Akerman), virginal goody-goody who the sharp-eyed and long-memoried among you will note is played by Max's dead actress mother.  Yes, like I said, it's enough to give you a headache.  

Oh, and then there's the killer, Billy Murphy (Dan Norris), who shows up and makes it clear he doesn't differentiate between a movie character - or a real person sucked into a movie.  Mayhem (and hilarity) ensues...


THE DUDE OR DUDETTE MOST LIKELY TO SAVE THE DAY:  That title would have to go to the badass mother-and-daughter team of Amanda and Max.  Go, Final Girls....

MOST INTENTIONALLY SCARY SCENE:  There aren't any TRULY SCARY scenes here since this is most decidely a comedy.  But if we were reaching for something - ANYTHING - I guess it would be Max and Amanda's final confrontation with Billy Murphy.  

MOST UNINTENTIONALLY SCARY SCENE:  Curt stripping to his tighty-reddies, and displaying a body that, shall we say, should see much less donuts and far more gym time.  Meow...

AND THE "EYE CANDY AWARD" GOES TO:  Ladies, you are all fine, but I'm going to have to go with blond hunk Alexander Ludwig on this one.  All the way.  Par-tay!

INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW:  What the hell caused Max, Chris, Duncan, Vicki, and Gertie to be pulled into CAMP BLOODBATH?  And is Max right when she says that all they have to do is stick to Paula, who is the movie's "Final Girl", if they want to survive past the end credits?  Or has their appearance in the movie already changed its outcome?  Who will be the new "Final Girl" ?  Tina?  Gertie?  Vicki?  Max?  Amanda? That fruit Duncan?  Yikes....

FINAL ANALYSIS:   In 1996, the Slasher Sub-Genre roared back to life with the release and success of Wes Craven's SCREAM.  That innovative, clever film ultimately not only revived slasher films inspired by the likes of FRIDAY THE 13TH, HALLOWEEN, and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, but also led to a revitalization of the entire Horror Genre as a whole, which is still going strong today, nearly 20 years later.  However, with all the kudos that SCREAM gets as a horror film, we often forget it has a very sharp sense of humor.  While it most definitely is first and foremost a scary movie, it occasionally leavens the proceedings with a self-aware wit, honoring the conventions of the Slasher Sub-Genre while also subverting and ultimately transcending them at the same time. 

Our next review, THE FINAL GIRLS, is cut from the same cloth as SCREAM: a self-aware deconstruction of the typical Slasher Film.  However, while SCREAM was a horror film with a healthy sense of humor that never took away from the scares, THE FINAL GIRLS is unabashedly an intelligently ridiculous comedy that uses those tropes primarily as gags and yuks.  Needless to say, THE FINAL GIRLS doesn't want to scare you at all - it wants to make you laugh out loud and often, and it succeeds beautifully.

The "movie-within-a-movie" premise was clearly inspired by THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO from 1984, although Woody Allen would never have predicted that his genteel film would inspire a slasher movie.  Director Todd Strauss-Schulson adeptly keeps the pace brisk and engaging, aided immeasurably by this top cast.  Malin Akerman is easily the vet in the group, and acquits herself well, while rising star Taissa Farmiga provides a strong central presence.  Akerman and Farmiga are terrific as the mother-daughter team of Max and Amanda Cartwright, and their story arc provides THE FINAL GIRLS with unexpected pathos and emotional depth - again, something you wouldn't expect from a Slasher Spoof.  

Alexander Ludwig, Thomas Middleditch, Nina Dobrev, Alia Shawkat, Adam DeVine, Angela Trimbur, and Troy Thompson, are all spot-on in their supporting roles - with not a single weak link among them.  Middleditch is particularly amusing as a movie fanboy who secretly wants to be the Final Girl in a horror movie, while Trimbur is a comedic standout as the stereotypical Horror Movie Whore who, for once, uses her questionable skills to help trap the killer.  You have to see it to believe it.  I was in tears from laughing so hard.  
All in all, THE FINAL GIRLS is a very good comedy that is also a loving tribute to the Classic Slasher Movies of yesterday.  Well done, all!