Reviews: Justin's Campy Comedies

Jun 17, 2012 17:07

Well Hello there, y'all. And a happy fathers' day to all the dads out there in flist land. This year will be the last one to go uncelebrated by Mr Snick, as tomorrow marks exactly one month away from the Snicklet's due date! You might have noticed I haven't been around much, we've been busy busy on weekends and evenings, getting the house ready, and having baby showers and shopping for baby gear and going to prenatal classes and whatnot. Four more weeks to go...I still don't think I'll believe it untill I see him.

In other news, I guess in my down times I've been watching a lot of movies because I'm all caught up to Justin now. The only full length feature of his I haven't been able to find is Hair High so as usual if you have suggestions for where I can find it, hook me up!

You'll be excited to hear there's just one last post to follow after these, and then I'll be caught up on the reviews too. But for today we have:

Justin's Camp/College Comedies



Waiting... (2005)
Dean
Who should watch: Fans of Ryan Reynolds in his VanWilder days, or pretty much any ‘raunchy’ college comedy type of movie - PCU, Road Trip, American Pie - although admittedly without quite as much heart as the now done-to-death “Pie” franchise. Oh. And probably anyone who’s ever worked in a restaurant. Based on the writer’s real life experiences working in food service, Waiting deals with the challenges faced by wait staff in any chain restaurant - rude customers, bad tippers, feuds with the kitchen staff, unfair treatment from management and drama between employees as they hook up and break up and hook up again.
Justin’s Role: Meet Dean, who faces all that and more: he’s one of the most serious and hardworking employees at Shenanigans, the fictional bar and grill chain known for having ‘goofy shit on the walls’ in the manner of Jack Astor’s or TGI Fridays, and as such he’s up for promotion. Taking a management position might be more of a commitment to the food industry than Dean was willing to make, however, and as much as he’ll miss partying with his best friends and fellow Shenanigans staff, he’s reaching the age when he’s feeling the pressure to make some heavy decisions about what to do with his life. Justin shares top billing with Reynolds here, who is the leading funny man, but takes the lion’s share of the plot as the best friend and ‘straight’ man (despite the infamous and suspiciously homoerotic ‘penis-showing’ game the staff play in the kitchen - sneak around the corner and expose yourself, and if the ‘victim’ looks at your junk when he rounds the bend you get to kick him in the arse and mock him for ‘being a gay, or else the game loses all meaning’).
I think the story Justin once told about his mother’s reaction to watching this (he tried to tell her she really didn’t have to) best sums up the contrast between this role and the rest of the film: “You were adorable, but that was HORRIBLE!” Justin is the opposite of the comic relief here, but rather the serious and relatable character giving some relief from the constant potty and shock humour. The movie is solid, and had an excellent reaction from audiences (I was even once given a scene from it for a reading in an acting class), but as with all films in this genre, if its not your comedy style - and it clearly wasn’t Justin’s mum’s - it might just leave you shaking your head at best, and feeling offended at worst. I hear that the real kicker, however, came when Justin’s mom called him up again to prepare him with the news that his nana was insisting on watching the movie next!

Happy Campers (2001)
Donald
Who should watch: If the title makes this sound like a kids’ movie, it ISN’T. It’s a literal ‘camp’ - as in about an actual Summer Camp - movie I saw as aiming for the vein of Porky’s and the ‘coming of age’ genre, about what happens when the head counsellor falls ill and leaves the campers in the care of a pack of partying teen counsellors who decide to ‘spice up’ the regular camp experience. It’s got a ton of cute young actors having a ton of teenaged sex, and its share of T&A and grossout moments. IMDB Rates it “R for nonstop crude sexual content involving minors, and for language and drug use” which pretty much sums it up. I think where it falls short, though, is there’s very little happening in terms of a progressing plot - it lacks a rival camp, a la Revenge of the Nerds or Animal House and therefore any sort of conflict to drive a plot along, and there are some incongruous and ‘surreal’ moments brought on by an eclipse, ending the whole thing up in a more Lord of the Flies-eque commentary, rather than a progressing story delivering satisfaction or heart. That’s my opinion however, and judging from the comments I’ve seen this film get, it’s apparently alternatively quite comparable to The Heathers, and I hear you have to have worked at, or at least been to, camp (and maybe be under the age of legal majority) to ‘get it’. There’s a few faces you’ll recognize, like Jaime King and Peter Stormare (Armageddon), the only adult to appear (and somewhat briefly) in the movie.
Justin’s Role: One of his first film appearances, Justin plays Donald “Donald Duck” Dark, a teenaged camp counsellor who “likes to think of himself as a witty, intelligent young man trapped in a geek’s body…unfortunately a witty young man in a geek’s body is still a geek”. It’s an old shtick that became quite the winner for Justin in the years to come, and fed off (and no doubt, into) his propensity for pratfalls and broad, bawdy humour. For such an early point in his career, I’d say this performance showcased Justin’s potential and talent well. He really is a ‘kid’ in this, and it’s interesting to see his growth as an actor over the past decade.
Bonus! Snick-squick moment of the film: Nope, it wasn’t his character’s detailed description of accomplishing a bowel movement so emotionally satisfying he ‘needed a hug’. It wasn’t even the live frog splattering its guts in his face after being suspended from a tree branch with a cherry bomb taped to its chest. No, it was watching him pull out a Hustler and a bottle of baby oil while using his sex-voice on his imaginary dream girl, and then apply a CLOTHES PIN TO HIS NIPPLE. It looked like a real clothes pin to me, kids. And it looked like it HURT. And he left it there long enough that it’s still there in the next scene! …Ahem. Where was I?
Bonus! Justin’s best line of the film: In a little moment of typical Justin-style ad-lib there’s a…let’s call it a ‘shout out’ to his brother, Christian, when in the middle of a stream of nervous chatter, Justin says “My little brother Christian used to wet the bed and…”
Heh. It probably says something that that moment was a hilight for me.

Still Waiting(2009)
Dean (uncredited)
Who should watch: Nobody who is easily offended. Maybe nobody with any level of ability to be offended at all. And most likely nobody who will read this. ‘Waiting’ is a relatively well known camp classic now, and because it’s camp, wasn’t going to be everyone’s cuppa, and that’s understandable. But it was ‘cute’ compared to its sequel. Still Waiting goes out of its way to offend - and on the way forgets to be funny. And therein lies the rub. The film features a rivalry between Shenanigans, the original film’s setting, and its neighboring restaurant which is a Hooter’s style bar and eatery run by scantily clad girls and their abusive, sleazeball manager. John Michael Higgins, Steve Howey, and Daneel Harris join the original cast, (minus the bigger names - Ryan Reynolds, Kristen Doubleday and Anna Faris are conspicuous in their absence) and Adam Carolla (The Man Show) makes a cameo. In fact, most of the original casts’ appearances are cameos except maybe Luis Guzman and Alanna Ubach.
Justin’s Role: Justin has since cited this role as the ‘one regret’ of his career. Why? Surprise, surprise: too offensive. I hope his Nana never watched THIS one, ha. Justin reprises his role as Dean - after a fashion. The character bears no resemblance to the ‘straight man’ who was the only grounding source of ‘heart’ in the first film, as well as the main source of plotline - both things that Still Waiting lacks. Even the original plot is diffuse to be sure, but it loosely revolves around Dean, the most dedicated and mature member of the Shenanigans staff, and his desire to grow up and make something of himself - eventually resulting in him quitting his job at the restaurant to follow his dreams. Dean’s return (a cameo really, and you have to slog through until the last half hour to catch it) establishes nothing constructive for his character such as having made good on his happy ending in success outside the restaurant business, nor accepting the viability of success within it, but merely has him reappear as broken and perverted by an outrageously unlikely series of events just in order to eke out another depressing, offensive joke. That said, Justin’s humour is probably the tamest, dryest (and, I think, funniest) found in the film. Even if he does casually tell a fellow employee “by the way, you have some mayonnaise - or semen - on your collar.” Completely deadpan of course!



Justin’s Filmography

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011)
Alvin (voice)
Status: Reviewed here
Ten Year (2011)
Marty
Status: viewed, review pending

Alpha and Omega (2010)
Humphrey (voice)
Status: I own this, reviewed here

The Conspirator (2010)
Nicholas Baker
Status: viewed, review pending

Going the Distance (2010)
Garrett
Status: I own this, reviewed here

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009)
Alvin (voice)
Status: Reviewed here 

Taking Chances (2009)
Chase Revere
Status: Reviewed here

Old Dogs (2009)
Troop Leader Adam (cameo, uncredited)
Status: Reviewed here

Planet 51 (2009)
Lem (voice)
Status: Reviewed here

After.Life (2009)
Paul Coleman
Status: I own this, Reviewed here

Youth in Revolt (2009)
Paul Saunders
Status: Reviewed here

Funny People (2009)
Re-Do Guy (cameo)
Status: Reviewed here

Serious Moonlight (2009)
Todd
Status: Reviewed here

Drag Me to Hell (2009)
Clay Dalton
Status: Reviewed here

Still Waiting... (2009)
Dean (uncredited)
Status: Reviewed above

He's Just Not That Into You (2009)
Alex
Status: Reviewed here

Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
Brandon (cameo)
Status: Reviewed here

Just Add Water (2008)
Spoonie
Status: Reviewed here

Strange Wilderness (2008)
Junior
Status: Reviewed here

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)
George Harrison (cameo, uncredited)
Status: Reviewed here

Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)
Alvin (voice)
Status: I own this, Reviewed here 

Battle for Terra (2007)
Senn (voice)
Status: Reviewed here

Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
Matthew 'Matt' Farrell
Status: seriously? I own this, Reviewed here if you really want to hear it

Idiocracy (2006)
Doctor Lexus (cameo)
Status: Reviewed here

Accepted (2006)
Bartleby Gaines
Status: plan to purchase, Reviewed here

The Break-Up (2006)
Christopher
Status: Reviewed here

Dreamland (2006)
Mookie
Status: Reviewed here

The Sasquatch (Dumpling) Gang (2006)
Zerk
Status: Reviewed here

Herbie Fully Loaded (2005)
Kevin
Status:plan to purchase, Reviewed here

Waiting... (2005)
Dean
Status: Reviewed above

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Justin
Status: plan to purchase, Reviewed here

Hair High (2004)
Dwayne (voice)
Status: no luck finding this one, holla if you can hook me up

Raising Genius (2004)
Hal Nestor
Status: viewed, review pending

Jeepers Creepers II (2003)
Darry Jenner (cameo, silent)
Status: Reviewed here

Crossroads (2002)
Henry
Status: Reviewed here

Jeepers Creepers (2001)
Darry Jenner
Status: Reviewed here

Happy Campers (2001)
Donald
Status: Reviewed above

Galaxy Quest (1999)
Brandon
Status: Reviewed here

TV

New Girl (2011)
Paul Gunslinger
Status: I watched all four of Justin’s eps, no word yet on if he'll be back next season.

Martha Stewart's
Haunted House
(2011)
Teenage Werewolf
Status: Not sure about this one. The description is ‘TV movie’, but from the article I found it looked like just a Halloween ep of Martha’s show. Still, holla if you can hook me up

Saturday Night Live (2009)
Status: no luck finding this one, holla if you can hook me up

King of the Hill (2006-2007)
Adam / Cashier / Kid #1 / …
- Grand Theft Arlen (2007) … Student teacher (voice)
- The Texas Panhandler (2006) … Adam/Kid #1 (voice)
- 24 Hour Propane People (2006) … Cashier (voice) / Troy (voice)
Status: no luck finding these, although they sound very minor. Still, holla if you can hook me up

That '70s Show (2006)
Andrew Davis
- Love of My Life (2006) … Andrew Davis
Status: no luck finding this one, holla if you can hook me up

Campus Ladies (2006)
Connor
- Fraternity Row (2006) … Connor
Status: no luck finding this one (or ever hearing of it before), holla if you can hook me up

Ed (2000-2004)
Status: in the viewing queue

Shorts/Videos

Free Hugs (short) (2011)
Check out boy
Status: looking hard, holla if you can hook me up

That Is All (2011) (short with John Hodgman)
Himself
See for yourself!

Beyond All Boundaries (short) (2009)
Corp. James R. Garrett (voice) / Sgt. John H. Morris (voice)
Status: no luck finding this one, holla if you can hook me up

Fraternity School Shopping (video short) (2008)
Herbert
See for yourself! (THANKS storyfan)

Robin's Big Date (short) (2005)
Robin
See for yourself!

Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie (video) (2004)
Chris Harken
Status: located, and I've have seen Justin's clip, but not the full deal as of yet

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justin long, review, christian long, movies, justin's filmography

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