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Comebacks, The

Fox // Unrated // January 29, 2008
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]

Review by Daniel Siwek | posted February 16, 2008 | E-mail the Author
The Movie Can a movie be so bad that it's good? Sure. But movies that are set up to be good-bad are often terrible. Sometimes they're so terrible they actually become good again. This, unfortunately for director Tom Brady (The Hot Chick and the upcoming Welcome Back Kotter ), isn't one of them, though there's some scattered lines here and there that may get the better of your sense of humor. A spoof of sports movies as well as spoofs of sports movies (like Dodgeball), makers of the The Comebacks have studied the video tape but for the most part failed in executing the funny plays. .

David Koechner is "Lambaeu 'Coach' Fields," The Forrest Gump of losing-coaches (he was the cause of Bill Buckner's World Series losing error), resigned to live a pathetic and defeated existence that resembles the family life of Al Bundy. When his old friend and assistant, "Freddie Wiserman," (played by Carl "Apollo Creed" Weathers) offers him an opportunity coach the worst team in scholastic history he jumps at the chance, and is determined to make turn them around in time for the Toilet Bowl - where potty-mouth jokes and crappy timing go down the drain faster than liquid Drano. With a gymnast-cum-pole dancer for a daughter/cheerleader (Brooke Nevin), an in-the-closet pretty-boy for a quarterback (Mathew Lawrence), and a blinged-out pimpdaddy of a wide receiver (Jackie Long) the coach must get his team ready to compete against "Wiserman's" gridiron gang, where we can hear lines like "He could go all the way . . . to Mexico!"

A football player turning his locker into a My Little Pony shrine warrants a few chuckles, but Frank Callendo's John Madden is as painful as the Bears' "Superbowl Shuffle" (though watching character named "i-Pod" doing the "i-Pod Shuffle" was nearly excruciating). The film toys with the obvious homoeroticism in the game of skins, but it becomes a preoccupation that not only beats a joke into the ground but boarders on unfunny homophobia. And while the writers have no problem throwing deep into the bawdy zone, most of the passes fall out of bounds, and incomplete. And anytime you're relying on cameos from Andy Dick and Dennis Rodman for extra yardage, you may as well call in Carrot Top for the extra point.

The DVD
Video: Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, the image quality surpasses the accompanying content.

Sound:. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is as crunchadelic as a Sunday football game on Fox, even though I was expecting a little bit more on the surround action. Otherwise, the sound is crisp and punchy, especially when going along with one of those flaming-wipes.

Extras:
Commentary By Director Tom Brady: Full commentary by the director provides little insight to why this movie got the green light.
A Laugh of Their Own This clip features the former athletes that bring some real talent to this game. Bill Bruckner, Lawrence Taylor, and, uh, Dennis Rodman. We see some behind the scenes and on the set action.
The Karaoke Kid While they didn't do the "Superbowl Shuffle," the Comebacks shot their own horrid music video.
David Koechner Follow the star on the set, and get to watch him tell more "funny" gay jokes.
Booty Shaking contest Jermaine Williams, who plays "i-Pod" introduces us to one hell of a booty shaking cheerleader.
The Mighty Dicks Here's some outtakes of Andy Dick as the referee
On The Bench (Deleted Scenes) There's thirteen ways to make this movie even longer and stupider.

Final Thoughts:
As far as I'm concerned movies like Epic Movie and Date Movie are a complete waste of time anyway, so I don't have any qualms telling you to rent one of the worst movies of all time (just for the My Little Pony line), but otherwise, I've seen better parodies on YouTube.


Why are our days numbered and not, say, lettered? Woody Allen
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