What’s It About
Two friends find themselves caught up in mayhem involving killers, monsters, and supernatural creatures once again.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
There is a moment early in Scary Movie, the sixth installment in the franchise, though it quietly drops the number from its title just like Scream did when it reached the same count, when you realize something unexpected is happening. Number six is more than cheap jokes dressed up in a familiar costume. This is a homecoming. And for the Black community especially, it is the kind of homecoming that actually means something. When Keenan Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Marlon Wayans created this franchise back in 2000, they provided Black audiences with something that had not previously existed in Hollywood: a comedy made with a Black perspective, Black humor, and Black stories at a huge budget level in a genre where Hollywood has historically killed off people of color within ten minutes of the start of the movie. The films were successful in filling up theatres, created job opportunities for those talented individuals involved with making the movies, and, with the level of success they achieved, proved that unapologetically Black comedies can compete at the very highest levels of Hollywood. However, the franchise had been taken away from them. After a quick production process of the sequel Scary Movie 2, the Wayans were pushed out of the franchise, and the franchise began being handled by people other than the Wayans. The following films had their highlights, but they lacked the magic, the spirit, and the energy that no one else had been able to duplicate. Twenty-five years later, the Wayans have returned to complete the final missing pieces in this franchise that have been missing for way too long. Directed by Michael Tiddes, Scary Movie picks up its target and fires in every direction. The film draws from a wide range of recent movies, Scream (2022), The Substance, Get Out, Weapons, Longlegs, M3GAN, Sinners, Candyman, and even the Michael Jackson biopic, threading them into a loose story that almost copies the structure of Scream 5. Cindy Campbell, played by Anna Faris, has retreated from the world like a Laurie Strode figure, haunted by the past and waiting for GhostFace to return. Meanwhile, Brenda Meeks, the true heart of this franchise, charges through every scene with the force of a storm. Regina Hall, fresh off her Golden Globe win and her role in the Best Picture winner One Battle After Another, shows exactly why she belongs in the conversation with the greatest comedic performers of her generation. She does not just act in the film. She owns it. For Black moviegoers, this cast reunion is important. Faris and Hall’s chemistry, though joyful, is also apparent from start to finish, two performers who have a mutual respect for one another and know what tone they should be hitting in this particular project. Marlon Wayans is back as Shorty Meeks, easily stepping into the chaotic, crazy energy of that character without missing a single beat, and Shawn Wayans has quickly and effortlessly resurrected Ray Wilkins. Lastly, Olivia Rose Keegan (Cindy’s daughter, Sara) delivers one of the film’s strongest performances through her ability to perfectly mimic Faris’ comedic timing thus making the mother/daughter relationship entirely believable. She is a true find. The film also opens with a scene involving Teyana Taylor that may be the single funniest moment of the entire picture. The exchange between Taylor’s character and GhostFace, in which the killer tries to discredit her with a loss-award nomination and she corrects him, lands with the kind of timing and specificity that makes a joke truly great. It is a perfect 30 seconds. Scary Movie is more than just funny; there’s a lot of truth to it. It knows it’s part of the same Hollywood cycle it mocks. It’s also aware of how it’s a legacy sequel that exists off of nostalgia in an industry filled with nostalgia. Instead of pretending it’s something else, the film incorporates self-awareness into its humor. The Wayans have repeatedly taken shots at themselves for being kicked out of the franchise, making fun of Scary Movie 3 and 4, and kind of ignoring Scary Movie 5 altogether — it’s a choice that feels like a way to erase its existence. Honesty like this is rare in typical studio comedies! The film has aggressive, broad, and provocative humor. It pokes fun at cancel culture, toxic masculinity, performative activism, generational inconsistencies, and the social media culture wars with broad jokes. Some jokes hit and some miss. An example of a joke that works is children wandering around their neighborhood only to come across Shorty’s stash, showing the anarchic energy that permeates the franchise’s humor. An example of a joke using a character already established in the franchise is the Longlegs parody. However, the K-pop animated joke was delivered with complete commitment, but didn’t fit well enough together to connect the two, but still counts as a good joke. The Wayans are shooting at anything that moves, and while they don’t connect with every shot, they connect with enough to make it worthwhile. The main problems are the structure (lack of) as well. This is more a bunch of sketches strung together on a clothesline than an actual story. There is no connection between jokes in a scene leading to the joke in the next scene, resulting in an erratic pacing that at times can make for fun, but at times feels directionless. By the time we get to act three, we lose momentum, but they still throw everything (including the kitchen sink) at you. Just because it is comedy by quantity does not mean it will be good if not planned. Improv is for the immeasurable talent only. That said, R-rated comedies have nearly disappeared, and where too many films seem designed above all else to offend no one and risk nothing, Scary Movie chooses a different path. It chooses to take the shot. It chooses to be ridiculous and boundary-pushing and unafraid, in the tradition of the first film and the tradition of Black comedies, from Richard Pryor to Eddie Murphy to the Wayans themselves. That tradition matters. It has always mattered. And seeing it represented on screen at this scale, with this cast, under the creative control of the people who built it in the first place, is something worth recognizing. Scary Movie isn’t perfect. It has its messy spots, is uneven, and can be really tiring at times! However, Scary Movie has a level of life that none of the previous films in this franchise since 2001 have had. It’s funny, it’s original-ish, and the Wayans have it back! For those fans that have been waiting for the Wayans to reclaim what has always been theirs, this is sufficient to make the fans happy. The family is back home!
OUR RATING – A SHORTY’S BACK 7