There's a certain thrill that comes with seeing films that meet with universal derision. I guess it's the hope that amidst the rubble of bad buzz, something halfway decent may emerge. I didn't take ANY hope of that happening with The Hottie and the Nottie. Didn't even plan on seeing it in theaters until a perfect storm of events came to pass. 1) The movie had a historically low turnout on opening weekend. 2) It reached the "top" on IMDb's bottom 100. 3) I had a friend who wanted to see the movie because she thought the trailer looked GOOD(!). How could I pass up the opportunity to be amongst the select few to say I saw this in theaters (I think more people have won lotteries).
As a bonus I figured on getting some laughs out of every abysmal joke that would make my easily amused friend laugh. With this in mind, no one was more shocked than I to find myself laughing at what was on screen. What most of the negative reviews fail to grasp is that the star of the movie is not Paris Hilton but the male lead, Joel Moore. The Nate character is that rarity in films, a dorky underdog who is nonetheless confident in his conviction of what he wants. Too often we are subjected to the put upon dweeb who blossoms (think Jason Biggs), or the part gets cast with a good looking guy like Dane Cook/Ryan Reynolds since confidence is only a trait of the pretty (I'd try to make a distinction between these two, but there is none when we're talking about this level of unfunny). Joel Moore looks and acts the part perfectly and is even able to wring new layers of laughs out of a sitcom level scene that has him trying to make up a name for a fictional friend who might be interested in dating the Nottie (the "Cole Slawsen" scene was where I finally gave in to the slapdash charms of this movie).
Paris Hilton isn't even the main female character. Christine Lakin as the Nottie really works in one of the most thankless roles I've ever seen. She has a good chemistry with Joel Moore and tackles the part fearlessly, somehow making you care about the Nottie's fate. Lakin's almost too good as the dignity and awareness she brings only makes me wish the filmmakers had gone for something a little less ridiculous in conceiving the hideous physical flaws of one June Phigg (that infected toenail bit belongs in American Pie) and put more effort into the strange relationship she has with Hilton's Hottie character. The premise of the movie is that every beautiful girl has a less than beautiful friend, so why not explore the darker aspects of that?
As for the notorious Paris Hilton, the truth is she didn't bug me here. The part is made with her limitations in mind and is akin to Bo Derek's in 10. Her main contribution is that her name was enough to get a movie made which stars unknown talents like Moore and Lakin as romantic leads.
So there it is, a good review of the worst movie of all time. I'd be shocked to see of anyone who finds this review "useful" based on the comments I've read so far. Let's see how that theory holds up.
As a bonus I figured on getting some laughs out of every abysmal joke that would make my easily amused friend laugh. With this in mind, no one was more shocked than I to find myself laughing at what was on screen. What most of the negative reviews fail to grasp is that the star of the movie is not Paris Hilton but the male lead, Joel Moore. The Nate character is that rarity in films, a dorky underdog who is nonetheless confident in his conviction of what he wants. Too often we are subjected to the put upon dweeb who blossoms (think Jason Biggs), or the part gets cast with a good looking guy like Dane Cook/Ryan Reynolds since confidence is only a trait of the pretty (I'd try to make a distinction between these two, but there is none when we're talking about this level of unfunny). Joel Moore looks and acts the part perfectly and is even able to wring new layers of laughs out of a sitcom level scene that has him trying to make up a name for a fictional friend who might be interested in dating the Nottie (the "Cole Slawsen" scene was where I finally gave in to the slapdash charms of this movie).
Paris Hilton isn't even the main female character. Christine Lakin as the Nottie really works in one of the most thankless roles I've ever seen. She has a good chemistry with Joel Moore and tackles the part fearlessly, somehow making you care about the Nottie's fate. Lakin's almost too good as the dignity and awareness she brings only makes me wish the filmmakers had gone for something a little less ridiculous in conceiving the hideous physical flaws of one June Phigg (that infected toenail bit belongs in American Pie) and put more effort into the strange relationship she has with Hilton's Hottie character. The premise of the movie is that every beautiful girl has a less than beautiful friend, so why not explore the darker aspects of that?
As for the notorious Paris Hilton, the truth is she didn't bug me here. The part is made with her limitations in mind and is akin to Bo Derek's in 10. Her main contribution is that her name was enough to get a movie made which stars unknown talents like Moore and Lakin as romantic leads.
So there it is, a good review of the worst movie of all time. I'd be shocked to see of anyone who finds this review "useful" based on the comments I've read so far. Let's see how that theory holds up.