Review by Dead Derrick
Source: COMCAST ON DEMAND
Country Of Origin: USA
(Spoken in English)
USA Release: Friday, March 2, 2012 (Limited Theatrical)
MPAA Rating: R for Strong Crude and Sexual Content Throughout, Brief Graphic Nudity, Pervasive Language, Comic Violence and Drug Use
Running Time: 1 hour 33 minutes
Distributor: Magnolia
Directed by: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim
Written by: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim
Starring: Tim Heidecker as himself, Eric Wareheim as himself, Jeff Goldblum as Chef Goldblum, Robert Loggia as Tommy Schlaaang, Will Ferrell as Damien Weebs, John C. Reilly as Taquito, Will Forte as Allen Bishopman, Zach Gallifianakis as Jim Joe Kelly
Chock full of profanity, randomness, the peverse, violence, and SHRIM! This is TIM & ERIC’S BILLION DOLLAR MOVIE. I haven’t seen anything by Tim & Eric before, but apparently they have a pretty big fanbase. In fact, the first I heard of them was back at Sundance, when a screening of this movie ended before the one I was going to began. This is definitely an oddball comedy. I can see a lot of people utterly hating this movie (from the reactions online, most do), but I found it to be pretty funny.
Comedic duo Tim and Eric are given a billion dollars from an evil elderly rich man to make a feature film. They squander it all and wind up with only 3 minutes of useable footage for their film (titled DIAMOND JOE, starring a fake Johnny Depp). The billionaire and his henchmen are pissed, so Tim and Eric go on the run to an abandoned mall. There the duo try to manage the crumbling mall and make their billion dollars back, all while the rich old people begin hunting them down. What follows is too weird for words. There’s a man-eating wolf that stalks the food court, a sickly boy named Taquito (played by John C. Reilly) and of course, SHRIM!
To say this movie is offensive and dark is one of the biggest understatements of the century. This isn’t just funny, it becomes downright evil at points. Little kids are blown up in bloody explosions, lots of people get killed, perverse sex acts are shown, and the discovery of what exactly SHRIM is might be one of the most disgusting moments you’re bound to see all year long. It’s sick, wrong, and damn funny! There are no censors or edits that could be made to tone this film down. It’s bizarre and as crude as comedy comes.
The film isn’t completely perfect though. There are moments that fall flat and the story is predictable. The ending feels like a bit of a cop-out, but the jokes keep things entertaining. The cast is pretty impressive as well, though most of these big names show up for about a total of 10 minutes each. Still, this is a nice escape from tired spoof movies and sappy romantic comedies. It’s pretty much like a live-action version of SOUTH PARK, which may be what Tim and Eric’s other material is like. Having not seen any of their previous work, I still enjoyed this movie quite a bit.
Grade: B: TIM & ERIC might not have actually made this movie for a billion dollars, but it proves that huge budgets don’t make huge laughs. This one is bizarre, dark, evil, and just hilarious at points. There are problems with the film. There is so much good and funny about it, that these issues can be overlooked. TIM & ERIC’S BILLION DOLLAR MOVIE comes recommended for those who like odd comedy with no limits whatsoever. Take it as a recommendation or a warning, just know what you’re getting into.