Film Screening 3rd August, 2001

Poster for Dude, Where's My Car?

Dude, Where's My Car? 

8:00 PM, 3rd August, 2001
No Guests

  • M
  • 83 mins
  • 2000
  • David Leiner
  • Philip Stark
  • Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott, Jennifer Garner, Kristy Swanson

Someone once said that if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. Well, if I'd listened to that advice, I never would have volunteered to review movies like Dude, Where's My Car? Actually, to state I don't have any positive comments about the film is untrue. The title is very fitting Dude, Where's My Car? is so named because (1) the two main characters spend the entire movie looking for the car, and (2) their vocabulary is limited to two words: "dude" and "sweet" (and Sweet, Where's My Car? lacks the same ring). See, told you I could think of something!
In brief, the story - to the extent that there is one - goes something like this... Jesse (Ashton Kutcher ) and Chester (Seann William Scott) are twenty-ish stoners who wake up one morning and can't remember what happened the previous night. And what a night it was - according to eyewitnesses, they were waving around money like they had it to burn, managed to get the sexy Christie Boner (Kristy Swanson) to take her top off, bought donuts for the entire police force, spent time in a strip bar with a transsexual, trashed their girlfriends' house, and lost Jesse's car. Now, Jesse and Chester have to find that car before they're captured by a group of cultists who are convinced that they have a device that will provide them with the means to travel beyond the solar system. Even though I can't explain why, there are scenes in this movie where you can't help but laugh.

Tamara Lee

Poster for Big Momma's House

Big Momma's House 

9:23 PM, 3rd August, 2001

  • M
  • 98 mins
  • 2000
  • Raja Gosnel
  • Darryl Quarles, Don Rhymer
  • Martin Lawrence, Nia Long, Paul Giamatti, Jascha Washington

Undercover FBI agent Malcolm Turner (Martin Lawrence), hot on the trail of a nasty bank robber guy, discovers that the bank robber's girlfriend takes off to her grandmother's house to escape her abusive relationship with this jerk. However, things do not go to plan (can anyone think of a movie where things actually do?). Whilst conducting a stakeout of her grandmother's house, Turner is somewhat dismayed to discover that grandma is off on vacation. The obvious solution to the problem? Whack on a big fat suit and pose as the Grandmother before the girlfriend arrives (well, obvious to me anyway).
I think it a little unfair to give this film the label of Nutty Professor-cum-Miss Doubtfire as has been done in many reviews, mostly because those films were honestly a little funnier. I must say however that being familiar with either of these films gives you some idea of what to expect; the usual barrage of fat jokes, man-dressed-as-woman jokes, man-attracted-to-young woman-but unfortunately-dressed-as-big-fat-old-woman jokes (OK, not as common) and so on. Indeed, if you found these films generally pretty funny I think you should have a good time with this one - and, let's face it, how much will it cost you to take a risk now that you are a member of ANU Film Group anyway? Not a thing! And you can get started on that essay tomorrow, surely

Jamie Swann