Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie

There's only so much you can do.

As a constant listener of Marc Maron's WTF Podcast, I found an interview with him and T&E mentor Bob Odenkirk, and he describes exactly what I think held this movie back from being what it could have been: When you make a movie, you have a LOT of people to please on some level. The producers, directors, actors, executive producers, EVERYONE has to be pleased on some level, or else there's gonna be a problem. I think that this concept comes through in this movie in huge ways.

The story here is the same as many of the people reviewing this movie. As a huge Tim and Eric fan, I'd been looking forward to this movie for quite some time, and very simply put, you should go in with your expectations in the medium-low range. There are some really funny moments, but there are multiple problems with this film that include, but are not limited to:

• A very Hollywood-esque feel, as opposed to a classic, awkward Tim and Eric feel. This could have been used to certain advantages, but only a small amount of the jokes attempted within this context are notably funny.

• An EXTREME lack of the Awesome-Show style jokes prevalent in Check it Out and TAEAS.

• As a certain critic pointed out, the storyline simply isn't funny. I found myself laughing at way more of the off-kilter characters and awkward, stabbing moments than jokes coming from the story.

This doesn't mean that T&E fans necessarily have to go home sobbing, however. Loggia, Ferrell and Forte serve very good, funny roles, Forte especially notable as a sword salesman constantly on the edge of losing his mind. The son jokes are present, the ending is pretty funny, and let's just say that Shrim definitely serves up to it's mysterious poking-at in the preview.

5/10. It's alrite, but if you're expecting the greatest T&E masterpiece of all time, you, unfortunately, will have to wait for another day.

Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim have been the kings of underground comedy for the past several years. Their style is usually referred to as anti-comedy, which pretty much means that their comedy is funny precisely because it's just so unfunny. I don't really buy into that description, simply because I do find their work funny. It's awkward as Hell and entirely bizarre, and it just doesn't work for most people. And, yes, I find the fact that so many people don't get it - and get so damned angry that they don't get it - highly amusing, but that's not the only reason I enjoy them. Hollywood producer Tommy Schlaaang (Robert Loggia - God knows if he's in on the joke or not, but he's hilarious in the movie) has given the duo a billion dollars to make a movie, and the result is a three minute short starring Johnny Depp (or rather an impersonator - everyone swore it was really Depp!) wearing a suit made entirely out of diamonds. Loggia and his assistant William Atherton (the reporter from Die Hard) demand that they be paid back, and the opportunity to make a billion dollars comes in the unlikely form of Will Ferrell, who insists that he'll pay anyone a billion dollars if they are able to reform his run-down mall. Tim and Eric go to the mall, which resembles a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and apply to be its new PR team. The plot is, of course, ramshackle nonsense and the film feels very much like the work of a sketch comedy team, but I have no problem with that as long as it's funny. And I thought it was damn hilarious. Sure, there are bits and pieces that miss, but I laughed - and hard - through the great majority of it. Other famous participants include John C. Reilly, Jeff Goldblum, Will Forte and Zach Galifianakis. This is easily my favorite comedy of 2012, but it's a hard one to recommend, since some people get downright murderous when they watch anything by Tim and Eric.

Count me as one of those perplexed by the negative reaction of so-called Tim and Eric fans. This movie is funny. Yeah it's stupid, gross and childish - but as in the rest of their work, there's some perceptive satire in here. B$M is a middle-finger salute to Hollywood and the mass media swamp we've been bathing in for the past 20 years. There's also a recurring indictment of corporate culture that bubbles throughout the entire film. Of course you don't need to know any of this to laugh out loud at the lunacy on display by these two weirdos. It always seems to me that T&E are at their best when they go into "full retard" mode but it's also hilarious to see them as dementedly sincere "managers" confronting a used-toilet paper salesman and the bizarre relationship entanglements between T&E and a middle-aged balloon seller and a 7 year old boy. This is seriously disturbing stuff. Maybe the only way to confront T&E's brand of horror-humor is to laugh hardily.

Now if you excuse me, I'm off to watch Top Gun from the top for the second time today. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

Let me detail everything this movie is, very briefly, so we can take a look at this logically.

Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie is satire. It's a parody on people trying to make a movie, followed by absurd, random, goofy plot points that don't make any sense. The entire film is an anti-climax. It borders on surreal and if you try to watch it for any reason other than Tim and Eric you're in for a disappointment.

Now, let's get this straight: What this movie IS NOT - IS TIM AND ERIC AWESOME SHOW GREAT JOB.

I do not know why people came into this thinking it was a movie about the TV show. Or why this movie would have anything to do with the TV show. It was not called the Tim and Eric Awesome Movie, or something like that. It's totally separate. It has a lot of jokes/humor reminiscent of the show, but ultimately it's a standalone movie. The movie is as different from Awesome Show as Tom Goes to the Mayor is from Awesome Show.

With that being said, the movie wasn't nearly as funny as the show manages to be. That's not saying much, however, because the shows are short burst comedies designed for 11 minute time frames. That kind of format would NOT work, ever, period, in a 90 minute film. Tim and Eric did what they could with the best material they could to make it into a movie format thats suitable for fans and non-fans alike. It portrays their humor very well, but it doesn't adhere to the same format as the TV Show. Again, I don't know why anyone thought this was a movie about the TV show. All I see are complaints about certain characters not being in the movie, but it's not an Awesome Show movie, pure and simple.

I'm not familiar with the many many shows of Tim & Eric, I'd been told they were an acquired taste and weren't for everyone. The last time I was told this was about the television series Flight of the Conchords (2007) and I absolutely despised it.

I went in open minded but expecting the worst, in fact part of me wanted to dislike it. Sadly I couldn't, yes a large percentage of it is childish and purile but for every bad joke there is a really quite good one.

Tim & Eric do a decent enough job here and are flanked by a great cast including plenty of cameos.

From Jeff Goldblum to Erica Durance, Robert Loggia, William Atherton, Michael Gross, Twink Caplan, Ray Wise, Will Ferrell, Will Forte, Zach Galifianakis and John C. Reilly. This by itself was very impressive, my attention was grabbed.

Again a lot of it is the most childish level of humour but it's saved by some great gags and I have a feeling this will linger in my mind for a while for both good and bad reasons.

If you like random, bizzare comedies then this might be right up your street but be aware this pushes the boundaries in places and isn't for the faint of heart.

Passable stuff.

The Good:

Some really funny stuff

Great cast

I loved the plot

The Bad:

Some of the humour is pathetic

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

If my sex life ever devolves into that I'm moving to Yemen

These new health fads are getting out of control

If people always exploded from gun fire movies would be so much better