Review: Strangers With Candy

I wasn’t a fan of the TV show. I was hardly looking forward to the movie when it was announced.

But a funny thing happened: The Colbert Report. I began to really get an respect him, and went looking in his history and sure enough, Colbert was on the old Comedy Central series “Exit 57” with Strangers with Candy co-creators Paul Dinello and Amy Sedaris. I thought I’d take a look with a more open mind this time.

Now, the movie was getting mixed reviews, so I was still a little skeptical. Even the trailer wasn’t entirely impressive.

Thankfully, I enjoyed myself. In fact, I really loved this movie. I haven’t laughed this hard since Anchorman (and I still giggle like a moron at the mention of Dorothy Mantooth). Strangers With Candy the movie drops the afterschool special conventions the show had, but it gains better pacing as a result. Voiceovers and monologs are gone, instead giving way to more screwball convict talk, racism, and homoeroticism. Its a real family movie.

Now like I said, I wasn’t a fan of the show, so if this is mostly recycled jokes I wouldn’t know. Still I found Sedaris to be positively astounding as Jerri Blank, bouncing between a moronic child to streetwise hustler at the drop of a hat. Colbert and Dinello return as teachers Mr. Noblet and Mr. Jellineck, though their screen time is diminished to more supporting roles. Cameos from famous fans like Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Mathew Broderick add little, as their scenes are stolen in every instance by Greg Holliman’s Principal Onyx Blackman.

So I’m going to make this appeal to you, dear reader. If you missed the show the first time around or maybe just didn’t think it was funny, try the movie. It doesn’t quite push the limit like South Park or Chappelle, but the final line of dialouge left my mouth agape in shock and I was laughing well after I’d left the theater.

Of course, this review won’t change your mind now, but maybe you’ll watch it on cable in 6 months anyway.