Lady Killers

I am 40 years old, a mom of four and I laughed my butt off at this movie!! If someone looks to this film for the old style National Lampoon quality, it's true they may be disappointed but its a new time and this film uses fresh faces and a fresh approach. Will Freidle is hysterical(esp. in the hard candy scene) and Chris Owen actually shows some promise as an actor. Finally proving he is more than just a unique set of features. I'd enjoy seeing more of Freidle in films. I think this is a good little dark comedy that won't be looked at as art by any means, just good fun. The veteran actresses steal the show. They really know how to keep the lines rolling. Will Freidle can finally say that he has outgrown his television start and is ready for the feature big-time.

Some friends and I were at Blockbuster over the weekend. None of us could agree on what film to see. We decided that no one was in the mood for anything really heavy or intellectual. Just some stupid movie to have a few laughs and possibly a few beers to. All of us had seen the really Obvious comedies or big films that you rent from the new release wall as defaults when you're in the mood to just watch some film that you don't have to think about with friends. So we saw the box for GOLDDIGGERS and thought "there are hot chicks on the cover, that kid from American PIE and BOY MEETS WORLD are in it. Its a national lampoon film. I'm sure it will provide some amusingly crude dick and fart jokes and occasional shots of tits and be on par with EURO-Trip as one of those utterly stupid films that you can just pop in and let your brain rust, chuckle occasionally, and kill an hour and a half of your night."

Seriously, this film makes Eurotrip seem academy award worthy. The screenplay isn't even worth picking apart. It is failed joke after failed joke after failed joke. And then, it becomes entirely disgusting. And not Cameron Dias with Cum in her hair SOMETHING ABOUT MARY disgusting where its FUNNY. this was just disgusting.

The basic premise of the film is that these 2 young screw ups try to seduce 2 elderly women. You can already guess how disgusting the sexual interactions already are.

And I wasn't expecting much from this film. I was really looking for 2 things: 1. Boobs. 2. Laughs.

1. The boobs were old and disgusting and by the time it got to cuter girls, I was already thuroughly disgusted 2. Few and far between and mostly at the fact that I actually shelled out 4 dollars to rent this piece of theatrical donk.

So note to all: don't bother renting stupid comedies that you've never head of and are shorter than 90 minutes or star c-list actors. Generally, there's a reason you've never heard of it. Did this even get a theatrical release? I would hope not.

First of all, I'd like to establish that the outrageously beautiful Nikki Ziering doesn't play a big part in this movie, though she's plastered on the DVD cover. But hey, what's going to sell the movie better? An outrageously beautiful woman like herself or two old ladies? Luckily, if you rent the unrated version, you will get the see her topless. I'm guessing they CGI'd a bikini top on her for the theatrical PG-13 version, because she seems to be topless in all but one scene in the movie.

All film aesthetics aside, the problem with "National Lampoon's Gold Diggers" is the fact that it's about two young guys who have to marry, wine, dine and copulate with two old ladies. That's just disturbing. Not funny, just disturbing. I found the scenes where the women each engage in sexual roleplaying with the young men more gag-inducing than funny.

Other than the distasteful premise, the movie is written and directed in an amaeteurish fashion. I'm guessing the National Lampoon's franchise has taken a huge nosedive, ever since "Christmas Vacation." We went from "Animal House" to this? I probably look at comedies in a more analytical fashion than most people, and many of the gags are badly executed. Surely, I've seen much worse, but the comedy still never rises above direct-to-video standards. And of course, there are some cheap gags involving things like old people farting (Wow, that's soooooo original). If you're an old person, I suggest you don't see the movie, because you'll probably be offended. Like most movies aimed at young people that have elderly characters in them, the elderly are portrayed in a purely stereotypical fashion.

The cast is not bad. Louise Lasser has certainly done much better films than this (she was great in Todd Solondz's "Happiness"), but I'm sure it's harder for her to get decent roles in her old age. When I found out Will Friedle was in the movie, I was really afraid, but his performance is actually pretty decent in this movie. I guess as he matured with age, his comic timing has improved. I couldn't stand seeing him on "Boy Meets World" and in that awful comedy "Trojan War" (made even more awful by his hammy performance). Luckily, he's gotten more subtle with his comedy, and he manages to deliver some funny lines in the movie. Chris Owen, on the other hand, is virtually comatose in his performance. He seems totally bored throughout the movie. Maybe he's just not cut out for starring roles. He was good in his supporting roles in movies like "American Pie" (as the infamous Sherminator). I don't remember the actor's name, but the black guy who played the preacher was pretty damn funny, and steals in the show in the few scenes he's in.

"National Lampoon's Gold Diggers" is not as bad as I thought it would be, but I wouldn't rate it as a must-see. And for the guys, you may want to keep your finger on the rewind button during the scenes with Nikki Ziering.

On RottenTomatoes, this film is ranked as one of the worst movies of all time with 44 negative reviews and zero positive reviews. It seems to not be that well known of a film seeing as how there's only 18 reviews here (well 19 counting mine). It's amazing that we have such a massive number of National Lampoon movies and most of them (especially the later) are horrible. It's gotten to the point where I've seen so many awful comedies I don't even really care anymore. This movie's plot has these two guys who marry these old ladies thinking they're going to inherit a fortune. They plan to kill each other.

I sincerely do want to see everyone dead by the end of it. We get these two scenes where a murder attempt kills these two guys. Gee, I wonder what happens in the next scene with another failed murder attempt? Another guy dies and by being bitten on the crotch, how highbrow. 30 minutes into the movie it appears as though the old ladies die and it honestly seems like we'll have a new interesting plot. Too bad, it was all just a dream and we have to deal with the further idiocy of this film.

I recognized Will Friedle in live-action as he voices Ron Stoppable from "Kim Possible". It's easy to say this is the worst thing he's ever been in. Much of the movie's humor goes through how these old women want to seduce these young men and it's as disgusting as it sounds, especially the whipped cream scene, which I don't want to elaborate on. These characters are such idiots as they throw away lemonade that they think tastes good...for some reason? I just know that after saying when life gives you lemons, she'll say you kill someone. I wish Mike Nelson had seen this as I couldn't see how anyone would stomach this more than "Little Nicky". 1/2*

I'm a 43 year old father in a small Southern town. Just saying that so you will understand that I am not the target audience for this type of movie. I ignored it at the theater and had no plans to ever watch it. However, after enjoying National Lampoon's Dorm Daze, I figured I would give it a try at the rental store. I am glad I did.

The previews and such are not entirely truthful about this movie. It appears to be 2 young guys out to scam 2 older women. While it is that, it is also 2 older women out to scam 2 young guys who are some of the dumbest criminals ever. The "old women being sexy" angle is not played up nearly as much as you would think and rather than make fun of them, they seem to be making just as much fun of stereotypes.

This is not an Oscar movie or one with long lasting deep plots but it is a decent way to laugh on a rainy day. You will not split your sides laughing but the pace is good and the jokes funny rather than silly most of the time. While this is not a movie I am sorry I missed at the theater, and perhaps not one I will go out and buy, it was one that I enjoyed watching and felt well worth the rental. Just because the cover and premise seem so silly, don't just pass it by.