Dr. Strangeblog (DrStrangeblog)

Better than your usual SNL "star" vanity project, but that's hardly saying much. Andy Samberg is fairly likable, and Bill Hader is a talented comedian as is newcomer Jorma Taccone. However sidekick Danny McBride as Rico is so amateurish that I assumed he was a friend of Samberg's and was only in the movie as a favor, turns out he has a recent film resume including a bunch of Judd Apatow!

Movie revels in the big CGI-aided pratfall, actions that would kill any human being but are milked for laughs. Realism can take a back seat for comedic purposes, but when I see Samberg get run over by the 4th truck, it gets pretty old. 'Hot Rod's' shining moment comes 15 minutes in as he takes an extended fall down a hillside.

The plot is thin and contrived and accelerated to hide its shortcomings. What is really strange are the occasional attempts at absurdist, Monty Pythonesque humor that appear randomly (the dancing friend, riot in the streets) and feel completely out of place, almost always falling flat. Not well thought out. In summary, some scattered laughs, including Chris Parnell's turn as a delusional AM radio station owner/DJ, but hardly worth the time beyond the 15 minute mark.

(Also, here's useful tip: filling your soundtrack with awful '80s songs doesn't make a movie funnier, it only makes watching it much less bearable.)

Stunning visual recreation/imagination of WWI France as Audrey Tautou clings to hope that her fiancee was not actually killed in the trenches, contrary to the assumptions of her family. Her resolute search for the truth comprises the whole movie, a long journey filled with flashbacks as evidence is uncovered piece by piece.

Jeunet builds upon his dreamlike mastery of scenery and set decoration as seen in 'Amelie' and creates a France from another time, and yet a place OUT of time. Has the Paris market ever looked this sumptuous or French countryside appeared this resplendent? Maybe yes, maybe no, but Jeunet's skill at blending reality with digital enhancement is seamless.

I wish Audrey Tautou's character had more variation, but her only focus is finding her betrothed; as such she conveys that determination effectively. The supporting players are all superb, including the Jeunet regular Dominique Pinon, future Oscar winner Marion Cotillard as a vengeful prostitute, and Jodie Foster effectively speaking fluent French - not often an American actor takes on the challenge that we are so used to seeing from foreign actors in English-language films.

In addition to the beauty, there are many scenes that depict the brutally harsh life of soldiers engaged in trench warfare, as viscerally realistic as any war movie. But there are also some surprising, delightful moments of comedy sprinkled throughout. A long journey but a twenty course feast for the eyes.

The blackest of black comedies released during the height of the Cold War is sheer genius. Peter Sellers masterfully plays three roles while George C. Scott takes a hilarious turn as a gung-ho general. Scathing, sobering, and an all-time classic.