Expected more

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Comedy Central's attempt to redefine comedy for the new century nearly makes it. The effort to push "obnoxious" over some edge is understandable and acceptable. It is also amusing that they chose to parody the very comedy that we are expecting: sentimental, nostalgic feel-good high-school comedy that Rodney Dangerfield perfected with "Back to School".But as I've always said, in comedy, timing is everything - and unfortunately, the film depends on the comic timing of Amy Sedaris, which never quite gets to where it needs to be. Indeed, her pacing is the rhythmic equivalent of a monotone - every bit is delivered with equal momentum, so it's hard to tell where the exposition ends and the comic bit begins; by the time we've figured out we're supposed to laugh, the joke's over.An undeniably amusing film (in a sick sort of way) but not the New Wave of 21st Century comedy we were expecting.

I was expecting a comedy and what I received was a tragedy! I continued to watch this movie just to see how bad it really could get. It was like a car wreak and I was a rubber necker. I would consider "It's Pat", "Manos: The Hands of Fate", the "Police Academy" series movies and others were better than this! I lost an hour and 25 minutes of my life that I wish I could get back. I can't believe that Stephen Colbert read the script and said to himself "Wow, this is a film I want to do!" The acting is horrible, the timing of jokes is even worse. I almost gouged out my eyes, shaved my head and threw dirt over myself. This movie wouldn't even be good on drugs! IMHO, avoid this movie at all cost!

'Strangers with Candy' based off the deliciously neurotic Comedy Central original series by the same name, is filled with such ingeniously funny moments. Too bad that's all they are -- moments. 'Strangers with Candy' had so much potential, but it just isn't consistently funny enough. 'Strangers with Candy' is a mixed bag in many respects.First off, Amy Sedaris is absolutely hysterical! Just her body language as the 40-year-old reformed drug addict who goes back to high school, is enough to make you roll on the floor laughing. The rest of the cast including the wide array of cameos from Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman to Sex and the City's Sarah Jessica Parker as the school's unsympathetic grief counselor who charges the students in tips, is decent to say the least. The real scene-stealer is Stephen Colbert as the closet-gay creationist science teacher who is just flat-out strange.The real problem with 'Strangers with Candy' lies in the screenplay. It has some incredibly funny moments like I've previously mentioned, but it has such long stretches of time where nothing funny happens. Calling 'Strangers with Candy' off-beat is like calling the bombing of Hiroshima violent, it's an understatement of gigantic proportions. If you are into that sort of off-beat comedy films, chances are you'll love 'Strangers with Candy.' But for someone like me expecting something with a bit more substance and guffaws, I was pretty damn disappointed. Grade: C+

"Strangers with Candy" (2005) Directed By: Paul Dinello Starring: Amy Sedaris, Greg Hollimon, Paul Dinello, Deborah Rush, Stephen Colbert, Dan Hedaya, Allison Janney, & Philip Seymour Hoffman MPAA Rating: "R" (for sexual content, language and some drug material) "Strangers with Candy" started out as a short-lived television series on Comedy Central. It lasted, I believe, for eleven episodes in 1999 before being cancelled. It told the story of a forty-six year old ex-drug addict who went back to high school. I never caught the series on television…and, obviously, I was not the only one. However, the people who did watch it loved it. It became an instant cult classic. I still haven't seen a single episode so, to be perfectly honest, I couldn't care less about seeing this movie. But, having heard great things about the series, I decided I would give it a chance. Now, I can honestly say that the plot is nothing special and really isn't that funny. What makes "Strangers with Candy" so wonderful is Amy Sedaris. Her performance makes the entire movie click. Watching Sedaris work makes this experience one that everyone should check out at some time or another. She allows the movie to transcend its rather typical plot to become a surprisingly funny comedy.This movie is a prequel to the television series mentioned above (or, at least, that's what they tell me--I don't really know). Jerri Blank (Sedaris) is a middle-aged woman who has just been released from jail after being imprisoned on drug charges. When she gets home, she finds that her father, Guy (Hedaya), remarried, had a son, and happened to fall into a coma. Jerri decides that becoming "special" will help her dad recover so she returns to high school in hopes of excelling. Immediately, things go from bad to worse. She just cannot find a place in the vastly-different school system and seems to be making enemies left and right. The school, itself, is a blend of back-stabbing teenagers and careless, thoughtless administrators. What kind of grief counselor requests tips and a strict ten minute session limit, you ask? Well, the one working at this school does. But, Jerri hatches an ingenious plan (okay, as "ingenious" as one that Jerri could device) to take part in the school's science fair. Winning, she hopes, will be the perfect key to bring her dad back to her.The performances in "Strangers with Candy" work quite well and, really, they make the movie what it is. Amy Sedaris gives one of the best comedic performances of the year, proving that she is Jerri Blank. There is no substitute. I found myself laughing every time she was on the screen (which was almost always). She just had an undeniable charm about her and is a true comic genius. Deborah Rush also does a nice job as Jerri's spiteful stepmother. She was great. Greg Hollimon, who plays Principal Blackman, aced the material, coming off as a satirical look at the educational system without appearing to be ridiculous or cheesy. He just worked. I really enjoyed his performance. Stephen Colbert, another comic genius (if I do say so myself), is hilarious as the flamboyantly gay teacher. Granted, the material given to him was just perfect, but he really owned the role and made it his own. On a special note, what was with Dan Hedaya? He was unconscious for almost the entire movie. Couldn't they get just some random actor to lie in a bed for an hour and a half? It just seemed a little strange to me.On the downside of this movie, there were a few moments when I thought the plot kind of slacked. The plot itself wouldn't have worked had it not had been for the great cast. It was predictable, clichéd, and a little silly, but, because of such actors and actresses as Amy Sedaris, it worked well enough. This movie reminded me (oddly enough) of "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan". "Borat" also had a rather dull plot--okay, in all actuality, there was hardly a plot at all, but, because of Sacha Baron Cohen, the movie worked like a charm. This was also the case with "Napoleon Dynamite". Jon Heder, whether you die-hard fans will admit it or not, made that movie. Amy Sedaris did the same thing with "Strangers with Candy". Her wonderful performance made this movie a gem--forgotten by the general public (it only grossed a little over $2 million)--but a gem nonetheless.Final Thought: "Strangers with Candy" has Amy Sedaris to thank for its effectiveness.Overall Rating: 7/10 (B+)