Scary Movie (2000)

Scream already poked fun at slasher movies, which makes Scary Movie a spoof of a spoof, and it follows Scream so closely it plays like a cover band that changed a few words. Most of the humor goes for shock over wit, and none of it is getting described here. Some gags land. Plenty just lie there. What actually works is Anna Faris. She plays Cindy completely straight, wide-eyed and sincere, as if she has no idea she’s in a comedy, and that commitment is funnier than most of the punchlines. Regina Hall steals every scene as Brenda, loud and sharp in a way the script doesn’t fully deserve. Keenen Ivory Wayans keeps the pace fast enough that a dud is over in seconds, and at 88 minutes it doesn’t overstay. It made $278.0 million worldwide on a reported $19M. A 4.4 because Faris and Hall are better than the jokes they’re stuck with. $95.78 says you rewatch the original Scream afterward and laugh at all the wrong moments.

What works: Anna Faris steals the show by playing every moment dead serious, and Regina Hall gives every scene a jolt.

What doesn’t: Most of the humor goes for shock instead of wit, and a lot of the movie-of-the-moment references feel stuck in the year it came out.

Who it’s for: Grown-ups who lived through the late 90s slasher boom and want a loud, silly look back at it.