Disaster Movie (2008)

(On DVD, January 2009) The Friedberg/Seltzer writing/directing duo is well on its way to the Comedy Hall of Fame in that everything they’ve done is almost purposefully unfunny. With a track record that spans everything from Date Movie to Epic Movie, the only reason to see their films is to check if they’re still just as painfully dull as the last time. Most of Disaster Movie is reassuringly awful, showing no comedic talent whatsoever, and even less writing/directing skills. They still think that a reference equals a laugh, that abusive violence is always funny and that vulgarity is the height of subversion. They also don’t have a clue about pacing, or when a joke is best left alone. Clearly, the under-12 crowd has lower standards than the rest of us. Still, there are occasional signs of life in Disaster Movie, and they usually occur whenever Friedberg/Seltzer reach away from their usual shtick: The parodies of Juno and Enchanted‘s Princess work about half the time because the characters do more than beg for recognition by offering genuine criticism of the originals. But trying to salvage something out of this mess is a bit desperate, because the lame gags outnumber the tolerable ones by about ten to one. It’s probably best to skip this film, and even preferable to avoid thinking about why Friedberg/Seltzer are still getting work in Hollywood after a career as terrible as theirs.