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Freddy Got Fingered
Fox // R // October 23, 2001
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Canadian actor Tom Green (MTV's "The Tom Green Show", "Charlie's Angels", husband of Drew Barrymore) is essentially funny in little, tiny doses. Attempting to be the next Andy Kaufman, Green essentially continues to attempt to shock audiences, get a laugh - anything that causes the audience to react seems to thrill Green. He seems to have reached a triumph with "Freddy Got Fingered", a feature that many considered the worst film of the year - there were even a few that considered it the worst film ever made. After watching "Freddy Got Fingered" and listening to Green discuss his first directorial effort on the commentary track, I'm begining to think that this is actually what Green was intending - get 10 million from from a studio and just go wild and make something extremely stupid and surreal.
I must congratulate Green; not for actually making a funny film, but for putting another one past the MPAA, who have struck-out on many occasions lately. I find it remarkable that Freddy Got Fingered, with its rampant profanity, sexual dialogue and more, could actually get away with an R-rating. Although "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" probably had more in the way of four-letter words, at least it was occasionally very clever at times.
"Freddy Got Fingered" offers up the one-two punch of profanity and disturbing scenery. Within the first few minutes of the picture, Green gets out of his car to do...well, something with a horse. Green plays Gordon Brody, son to Jim (Rip Torn) and Julie (Julie Hagerty). An aspiring cartoonist, the 28-year old Gordon mainly seems to sit around in the basement of his parent's house and make them father furious.
He's got a rather sweet girlfriend named Betty, who works at a hospital and happens to be handicapped, obsessed with sex and working on a rocket-powered wheelchair. There's also brother Freddy (Eddie Kaye Thomas of "American Pie", looking embarassed), who's actually working and looks down on his older brother. I'm curious as to what possessed Torn or Hagerty to join in on this escapade.
Green's weirdo gimmicks are occasionally lightly amusing when he creates a character left-of-normal, like in his bit part on "Charlie's Angels". Here, he seems desperate to take things as far as they can go and although I will say that he's succeeded, that doesn't mean that any of this is actually funny. Maybe it would be a little funnier if there was actually some kind of plot to the picture, rather than a pile-up of gags. I will admit that I laughed a few times, but more out of a reaction to the sheer foulness than actually being genuinely amused.
Yet, I feel there's some place in the cinematic universe for Green. With some actual work, he might be rather funny, but he certainly needs someone else working with him and making sure that there's some bit of "movie" to the movie - this was most apparent with Green's actually funny small moments in "Road Trip". "Freddy", on the other hand, is a success for Green's attempts to shock, but not for his attempts to get a laugh. I certainly won't call it "the worst film of all time", but I think Green's antics could have made something funnier than this.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Freddy Got Fingered" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen by 20th Century Fox. That cinematic figure who many first-time filmmakers turn to to make their pictures look at least moderately visually interesting, cinematographer Mark Irwin (all the Farrelly Brothers movies), again succeeds here is providing some mildly enjoyable visuals and background scenery.
I really didn't see anything particularly noticable in the way of problems. Print flaws were hardly noticable throughout the film, with the exception of a one or two infrequent speckles. I didn't see any pixelation and only one or two very tiny instances of edge enhancement. Strangely, there were one or two moments in the scene with Drew Barrymore that look like they were either re-shoots or something else, since they looked strangely a little different than the rest of the scene. It's hard to explain, but it's something I noticed.
Colors looked fine throughout the picture, appearing well-saturated and natural, with no flaws. Black level was solid and flesh tones were accurate, as well. This is a very fine effort from Fox.
SOUND: "Freddy Got Fingered" offers up the film in Dolby Digital 5.1, but there's really little for the surrounds to do, with the exception of some of the more comedic-action sequences. The film's punk/pop soundtrack is actually quite good and is the one element that actually opens up the film's sound experience a little more. Dialogue is clear and easily understood and is never overshaowed by the soundtrack or the film's gross-out sound effects.
MENUS:: Amusing animated main menu and animated transitions between menus.
EXTRAS::
Commentary: This is a commentary from director/actor Tom Green. The commentary is exactly what one would expect, as Green veers from subject-to-subject like a hyperactive teenager. The writer/actor/director mainly spends the entire track either discussing the reasoning for the jokes or being amazed at the fact that someone actually gave him the money to do a film like this one. Not particularly informative, it's at least a little less intent on shock and actually is occasionally funny.
World Premiere Audio: A simple, yet fairly inspired feature, this audio track allows the viewer to listen to the audio from the world premiere of the picture along with the first half of the movie. In other words, a laugh track.
Also: There's some scene-specific commentary from Rip Torn, Marisa Coughlan and Harlan Williams. This section works like some of the Disney DVDs (such as "Coyote Ugly"), where the viewer chooses from a group of scenes to listen to commentary with. Williams is a stand-up otherwise, so he's easily the funniest of the three. Those who are wondering what was going through the mind of Torn when he decided to star here might find his comments quite interesting.
PG Version: Actually very funny, this section has the film re-edited down to a profanity-free 3 minutes.
MTV: Making Of: Fairly entertaining, this 20 minute documentary has Green discussing the production of the film and some of the locations that he got to visit while finding time to push the film's story. There's some entertaining behind-the-scenes footage, making it possibly worth viewing for fans.
Deleted Scenes: 6 deleted scenes are presented with commentary from Tom Green, who discusses the reasons for the deletions on an optional commentary track that's more of the same brand of humor.
Also: The film's theatrical trailer and 4 TV Spots, short promotional featurette, cast/crew bios and soundtrack promo.
Final Thoughts: Those are entertained by films that are simply so out-there that they become strangely fascinating might want to give "Freddy Got Fingered" a rental, but others who are easily offended or not otherwise familiar with Green should definitely stay away - why Fox chose to price this higher than most of their new titles at $29.99 is a little odd. Fox has produced a terrific DVD for fans of the film though, with good audio/video quality and a lot of supplemental features. If you liked the picture, you'll be more than thrilled with the DVD - personally though, I think Green really could make a funny feature that's not simply a string of bits pulled together, which is what this film turned out to be.
Canadian actor Tom Green (MTV's "The Tom Green Show", "Charlie's Angels", husband of Drew Barrymore) is essentially funny in little, tiny doses. Attempting to be the next Andy Kaufman, Green essentially continues to attempt to shock audiences, get a laugh - anything that causes the audience to react seems to thrill Green. He seems to have reached a triumph with "Freddy Got Fingered", a feature that many considered the worst film of the year - there were even a few that considered it the worst film ever made. After watching "Freddy Got Fingered" and listening to Green discuss his first directorial effort on the commentary track, I'm begining to think that this is actually what Green was intending - get 10 million from from a studio and just go wild and make something extremely stupid and surreal.
I must congratulate Green; not for actually making a funny film, but for putting another one past the MPAA, who have struck-out on many occasions lately. I find it remarkable that Freddy Got Fingered, with its rampant profanity, sexual dialogue and more, could actually get away with an R-rating. Although "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" probably had more in the way of four-letter words, at least it was occasionally very clever at times.
"Freddy Got Fingered" offers up the one-two punch of profanity and disturbing scenery. Within the first few minutes of the picture, Green gets out of his car to do...well, something with a horse. Green plays Gordon Brody, son to Jim (Rip Torn) and Julie (Julie Hagerty). An aspiring cartoonist, the 28-year old Gordon mainly seems to sit around in the basement of his parent's house and make them father furious.
He's got a rather sweet girlfriend named Betty, who works at a hospital and happens to be handicapped, obsessed with sex and working on a rocket-powered wheelchair. There's also brother Freddy (Eddie Kaye Thomas of "American Pie", looking embarassed), who's actually working and looks down on his older brother. I'm curious as to what possessed Torn or Hagerty to join in on this escapade.
Green's weirdo gimmicks are occasionally lightly amusing when he creates a character left-of-normal, like in his bit part on "Charlie's Angels". Here, he seems desperate to take things as far as they can go and although I will say that he's succeeded, that doesn't mean that any of this is actually funny. Maybe it would be a little funnier if there was actually some kind of plot to the picture, rather than a pile-up of gags. I will admit that I laughed a few times, but more out of a reaction to the sheer foulness than actually being genuinely amused.
Yet, I feel there's some place in the cinematic universe for Green. With some actual work, he might be rather funny, but he certainly needs someone else working with him and making sure that there's some bit of "movie" to the movie - this was most apparent with Green's actually funny small moments in "Road Trip". "Freddy", on the other hand, is a success for Green's attempts to shock, but not for his attempts to get a laugh. I certainly won't call it "the worst film of all time", but I think Green's antics could have made something funnier than this.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Freddy Got Fingered" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen by 20th Century Fox. That cinematic figure who many first-time filmmakers turn to to make their pictures look at least moderately visually interesting, cinematographer Mark Irwin (all the Farrelly Brothers movies), again succeeds here is providing some mildly enjoyable visuals and background scenery.
I really didn't see anything particularly noticable in the way of problems. Print flaws were hardly noticable throughout the film, with the exception of a one or two infrequent speckles. I didn't see any pixelation and only one or two very tiny instances of edge enhancement. Strangely, there were one or two moments in the scene with Drew Barrymore that look like they were either re-shoots or something else, since they looked strangely a little different than the rest of the scene. It's hard to explain, but it's something I noticed.
Colors looked fine throughout the picture, appearing well-saturated and natural, with no flaws. Black level was solid and flesh tones were accurate, as well. This is a very fine effort from Fox.
SOUND: "Freddy Got Fingered" offers up the film in Dolby Digital 5.1, but there's really little for the surrounds to do, with the exception of some of the more comedic-action sequences. The film's punk/pop soundtrack is actually quite good and is the one element that actually opens up the film's sound experience a little more. Dialogue is clear and easily understood and is never overshaowed by the soundtrack or the film's gross-out sound effects.
MENUS:: Amusing animated main menu and animated transitions between menus.
EXTRAS::
Commentary: This is a commentary from director/actor Tom Green. The commentary is exactly what one would expect, as Green veers from subject-to-subject like a hyperactive teenager. The writer/actor/director mainly spends the entire track either discussing the reasoning for the jokes or being amazed at the fact that someone actually gave him the money to do a film like this one. Not particularly informative, it's at least a little less intent on shock and actually is occasionally funny.
World Premiere Audio: A simple, yet fairly inspired feature, this audio track allows the viewer to listen to the audio from the world premiere of the picture along with the first half of the movie. In other words, a laugh track.
Also: There's some scene-specific commentary from Rip Torn, Marisa Coughlan and Harlan Williams. This section works like some of the Disney DVDs (such as "Coyote Ugly"), where the viewer chooses from a group of scenes to listen to commentary with. Williams is a stand-up otherwise, so he's easily the funniest of the three. Those who are wondering what was going through the mind of Torn when he decided to star here might find his comments quite interesting.
PG Version: Actually very funny, this section has the film re-edited down to a profanity-free 3 minutes.
MTV: Making Of: Fairly entertaining, this 20 minute documentary has Green discussing the production of the film and some of the locations that he got to visit while finding time to push the film's story. There's some entertaining behind-the-scenes footage, making it possibly worth viewing for fans.
Deleted Scenes: 6 deleted scenes are presented with commentary from Tom Green, who discusses the reasons for the deletions on an optional commentary track that's more of the same brand of humor.
Also: The film's theatrical trailer and 4 TV Spots, short promotional featurette, cast/crew bios and soundtrack promo.
Final Thoughts: Those are entertained by films that are simply so out-there that they become strangely fascinating might want to give "Freddy Got Fingered" a rental, but others who are easily offended or not otherwise familiar with Green should definitely stay away - why Fox chose to price this higher than most of their new titles at $29.99 is a little odd. Fox has produced a terrific DVD for fans of the film though, with good audio/video quality and a lot of supplemental features. If you liked the picture, you'll be more than thrilled with the DVD - personally though, I think Green really could make a funny feature that's not simply a string of bits pulled together, which is what this film turned out to be.
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