Loucuras de Carnaval

Most certainly juvenile (and sometimes gross-out) fun, but fun nonetheless for a little mindless movie time. The fact that Arielle Kebbel is in it was a definite draw for me. She's great in pretty much everything she's ever been in.

Interesting that the front DVD cover bills Carmen Electra as the film's main attraction. She is the most recognisable name in the cast, for sure, but ultimately is only a bit player in the story of four college dudes on the very stereotypical road trip to Mardi Gras in New Orleans for Spring Break. Of course, they're going there largely to get with girls. As you probably gathered.

The gross-out gags are plentiful, but, also, they are balanced by the scenes that show genuine heart. Kind of the American Pie way of doing things, tried and true.

(I liked that the film spotlighted the real Mardi Gras as well)

"Mardi Gras" makes the audacious choice of putting its worst scene at the beginning: you know how sex comedies have to start with a big set piece, one huge laugh that pulls you in and never lets you go? Well, "Mardi Gras" starts with an elderly couple we'll never see again remembering their first Mardi Gras, which very predictably turns into an overly explicit conversation about sex. I've seen and heard some horrid things in this subgenre, but an elderly woman literally just describing how her husband ejaculated on her breasts, without an actual joke in sight? Not how you lure me in. It's only like a thirty- second vignette, but it easily feels like thirty minutes. Who writes this and honestly thinks he's struck gold? Oh, we'll get two elderly actors and write some sex-related words on a napkin, maybe it'll be funny by accident. It won't.

I'm glad to say that's the only cringe-inducing scene in the movie, it doesn't have laugh-out-loud moments but I got through it fairly well. "Mardi Gras" is hurt though by the fact that its plot just hobbles along. It starts of with two losers who can't get a girlfriend (not saying "boobs" in every sentence could help), then they turn on the TV and it's a report on Mardi Gras in New Orleans. So uh...let's go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans! If that's all the effort you're going to do to set this up, why not just start the movie at Mardi Gras? The lack of stakes also makes it difficult to connect: Bret Harrison was a believable nerd in "Grounded For Life", but even there he got the girl fairly quickly. We're honestly supposed to buy him as a desperate, 25-year-old virgin? Would have made a lot more sense to reserve that subplot for the obese friend who's desperately trying to be Jonah Hill. The movie quickly deteriorates into a collection of barely related sketches, which are occasionally good for a chuckle but never add anything to the meager story.

There is a saving grace though: Nicholas D'Agosto and Arielle Kebbel have a very natural style in their acting, and though their story is highly predictable it didn't really bother me. They both have likable characters, which is kind of a rarity in "American Pie" rip- offs. Hell, most of them don't even have characters. They really have great chemistry, I wish the movie didn't waste that much time in Carmen Electra's (does she ever refuse a role?) hotel room or showing not Jonah Hill naked. Come on not Jonah Hill, I'm trying to have popcorn here. "Mardi Gras" isn't a great movie, but it's not a completely brainless sex comedy either.

Mike Morgan (Nicholas D'Agosto) is a college guy from the northeast. His girlfriend Erica (Danneel Ackles) doesn't like his idiot friends Bump (Josh Gad) and Scottie Smith (Bret Harrison) whom he's known since high school. She's distraught after her grandfather's death. His friends convince him on a road trip to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. They are shocked to see Erica partying and flashing her boobs. The boys run into Carmen Electra. Mike meets Lucy Mills (Arielle Kebbel) and Bump meets local Ann Marie (Regina Hall).

This type of broad college sex comedies are getting old. Josh Gad is throwing everything at this and it feels very common. Almost everything seems flat in this one. The poop joke is so common that I actually got bored. It's not shocking anymore. The only truly fun scene for me is the boys competing against the teams of girls in the wet T-shirts. It allows the three guys to play off each other better in something a little different. Too bad, it's only one scene in a whole movie of been-there and done-that sex-romp.

I'd like to think of myself as a veteran of these types of films, I am only 18, but I have seen the majority of the movies in this genre, from American pie to roadtrip, animal house to old school and vandwilder to the hangover.

Mardi Gras: Spring Break is a real solid effort and an enjoyable film. It me be a B grade straight to DVD film but don't let this turn you off. If you are into College party, teen sex and crude comedy then you should enjoy this film. The acting is surprisingly good, the story may not be original but is still interesting and familiar to a younger crowd, I can't really think of a negative thing to say about this movie but I will say its not the best movie like this but its definitely not bad.

If you feel like getting pumped for going out and partying or are just a long time fan of party movies then I would definitely recommend Mardi Gras: Spring Break.

OK the only reason I write this review is because of the Rating here on this site. Normally I find the ratings on IMDb very reliable. Most of the time it is a good tool to differentiate good movies from crappy ones and the ratings correlate with my own taste in general. So i tend so sometimes watch movies which got a good rating on IMDb although they wouldn't appeal to me otherwise. And very often I had a pleasant surprise and found really good flicks that I wouldn't even have noticed otherwise. Not in this case. At the time I'm writing this the movie has a rating of 8.1 which is already very very good if you consider that classics like Gone with the wind or Good Will Hunting are rated equally high. So I decided to watch it solely because of the good rating and was extremely disappointed to have wasted about 90 minutes on this piece of garbage. It is a mediocre movie at the very best and I wouldn't even go that far. I have no idea how such a flick can get an 8.1. Maybe all the actors and their their entire families gave it a 10. I don't know and I don't care. My only motivation to deal with this movie a little longer than the 90 minutes it lasted is to prevent others from making the same mistake I did. So here is my review that says everything there is to say about this flick: THIS IS NOT A GOOD MOVIE. STORY AND ACTING ARE WAY BELOW AVERAGE. ITS NOT FUNNY OR VERY ENTERTAINING AND THE RATING OF 8.1 IS COMPLETELY UNDESERVED!