Loucuras de Carnaval

This film is purely lowest common denominator stuff. Poorly staged poop, boob and dick jokes that don't even come close to raising a chuckle. The cast put in their all, but they can not rise above the terrible script and direction. Especially embarrassed is Josh Gad who did such a fantastic job on Broadway's "Book Of Mormon" recently. The most disturbing element of this film however is the blatant ugly homophobia. Being gay is often discussed as a disgusting and negative thing. Men showing any affection towards each other is greeted with boos and anger by other characters. This whole attitude give the film a feel of something made 20 years ago. If you really want to watch a sex comedy starring Nick D'Agostino, then give this a miss and watch "Fired Up" instead.

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)

I usually don't like this movie genre. 3 guys going to party for a long weekend... It is a script that I have seen too many times. And boobs obsessed teenagers usually get on my nerves pretty fast. I am now 48 and I've lived a bit :)

But strangely, in this case, it works tremendously. I was attracted by the nice 8.1 rating on IMDb so I decided to give the movie a shot. I loved it! I couldn't stop laughing. The jokes were big, but efficient. Plus for the first time, I had this Animal House feeling. We are in front of a great film, not just a party film. It was intended to make you laugh and it will. I can't wait to see Josh Gad in a new movie. He might just be the next John Belushi we all are waiting for. Laughing is a very good exercise and I had the feeling I came from the gym after watching this film...

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.

Mardi Gras: Spring Break (2011) is a movie I recently watched on Amazon Prime. The storyline follows a group of friends at Penn State that decide to venture off together one last time for Spring Break in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Fortunate for them they keep running into Carmen Electra, unfortunate for them nothing they planned for New Orleans goes as planned...

This movie is directed by Phil Dornfeld (Guilty Hearts) and stars Nicholas D'Agosto (Gotham), Josh Gad (Frozen), Regina Hall (Girls Trip), Carmen Electra (Scary Movie), Danneel Ackles (Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay) and Arielle Kebbel (The Grudge 2).

The storyline for this picture has an American Pie/newer National Lampoons feel to it. The comedic content actually has a few good moments and Gad is pretty funny throughout. The initial nude party invite scene, the fan/poop combo sequence and the wet t-shirt contest were pretty good...but the float ending was super cheesy and painful to watch unfold.

Overall this does have a few scenes that will give you a chuckle but not enough to make it worth watching. I would score this a 3.5/10 and recommend skipping it.