Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie

Nicholas Putala

Eebs, I love ya but ya blew it.

Mar 1 - 11:41 AM

Mike Greggs

Not good enough for a poke?

Mar 2 - 10:43 AM

Aaron DiMaria

At least he sort of admits it wasn't made for him.

But as for deliberately bad, that's not quite what they're about.

Mar 1 - 12:55 PM

Harry Simmons

I agree. "Deliberately bad" is oversimplifying Tim and Eric. It my look bad and make you feel uncomfortable, but there's more to it than that. Take Tim and Eric Nite Live. On the surface it's strange and campy, but at its heart it's about people and relationships. Episode 10 is maybe the most brilliant thing they've ever done. All the "weirdness" is gone, there are no costumes or sets, just senile old men and huge hollywood egos battling it out. What makes Tim and Eric so funny and exciting is the mix of real hollywood eccentrics and contrived ones played brilliantly by outstanding actors, and the interactions between them. You can never really tell what is scripted and what is real.

The movie was a disappointment because it lacked the subtlety and unpredictability of their earlier work. Tim and Eric said that the story was really just an excuse to make jokes. They're right, and what's more, the jokes are mostly just one-liners and typical T&E "gags" (funny faces, malapropisms, etc.), nearly all of which fall surprisingly flat. The characters are all one-dimensional cartoons which aren't nearly as funny as their Awesome Show counterparts--Will Grello, Tairy Green, Steve Brule, etc. It's a shame that James Quall or David Liebe Hart weren't given bigger roles.

I still can't get over how much funnier the publicity for this movie was than the actual product.

Mar 22 - 12:08 AM

Matthew Percival

I really didn't expect Ebert to like this at all. It's not even remotely for him, and he's aware of that.

Mar 1 - 10:33 PM

Mike Greggs

Oh Roger, you couldn't get anything you don't get even if it was given to you. The movie was not great, but pretty weird, occasionally funny and of course tasteless. Where T&E excel is in their commitment to hold contempt for most everything and everyone including you and themselves. That you don't have the energy/insight to look at them with fresh objective eyes is just you buddy. Oh yeah, and everybody else who hates T&E practically sight-unseen.

Mar 2 - 10:43 AM

Bryan Jewell

Recent Ebert tweet: "Romney children weeping with fear after dad straps hippo to roof of car."

...and he is the person attempting to interject the "rules of comedy" with his review Tim and Eric?

Wow. Politics aside, that is one of the lamest "jokes" I have ever read, and yes I understand the reference.

Tim and Eric always bring something fresh to the table. That is why their brand of comedy works. You can't realistically anticipate what happens next. In other words, it's the opposite of watching Billy Crystal at the Academy Awards. I think a younger Roger would have understood this movie and at least appreciated it a bit.

I once found Ebert's reviews to be engaging and interesting, but over the past few years I honestly feel those qualities have deteriorated significantly. I only hope it is not due to his health.

Mar 10 - 12:03 PM

Jack Heslop

I'm not a carpenter, but if I sit on a chair and it covers me in splinters before collapsing through no fault of my own, I know it's a shitty chair. Likewise, if I watch a comedy which doesn't make me laugh even once, I know it's a shitty comedy. That doesn't mean I could make a better comedy, and just because I'm not a comedian does that mean I have no right to express my opinion about a product? That's like the carpenter telling me "well you make a better chair" after I've paid him for his substandard product.

May 15 - 06:44 AM

Liam Rickards

Tell me a comedian that hasn't ripped off another comedian...Tim and Eric are fresh, a fresh face in comedy, tell me a predictable piece, or a cliche piece of that film. They are always looking for that originality, something that makes you go "What the..". Theres a great clip of Tim and Eric in film school which emphasizes why they do what they do. They are amazing actors and amazing writers, but just because its pointless sometimes overshadows this.

Jul 4 - 05:00 AM

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