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Click above to purchase "Freddy Got Fingered" at amazon.com
Freddy Got Fingered
review by Zach B.
Rated R
Studio: Fox
Running Time: 87 minutes
Starring Tom Green, Rip Torn, Marisa Coughlan, Eddie
Kay Thomas and Julie Hagerty
Written by Tom Green & Derek Harvie
Directed by Tom Green
Retail Price: $29.98
Features: Audio Commentary with
Star/Director/Co-Writer Tom Green, Selected Scene Audio
Commentary with Harland Williams, Selected Scene Audio
Commentary with Marissa Coughlan, Selected Scene Audio
Commentary with Rip Torn, Three Minute PG-Rated Version,
World Premiere Laugh Track, MTV Special, Deleted Scenes with
Optional Audio Commentary with Tom Green, Featurette, Cast
and Crew Bios, Soundtrack Spot, TV Spots, Theatrical
Trailer
Specs: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English Dolby
Digital 5.1, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround,
English Closed Captions, English Subtitles, Spanish
Subtitles, Scene Selection (28 Scenes)
Released: October 23rd, 2001
Oh that Tom Green... what will he think of next? While
Green does carry a large young demographic, there are those
who don't think much of him. Ever since Green started his
cable access show in Canada, he's gotten a fan base. That
fan base soon spread to MTV, where he gained a large amount
of popularity and a more widespread fan base. While his show
is no longer on the air, Green still has his fans and
started to do work in feature films, such as
Charlie's
Angels and
Road
Trip. Still, Green's main point is that he continues to
go over the top with his wacky stunts and comical lies (when
did he and Drew Barrymore get married exactly?). Naturally,
it'd only be time before Green got to make his first film.
He co-wrote it, stars in and yes, even directed it! Can
anyone direct a movie? I suppose so. So in April 2001,
"Freddy Got Fingered" opened. It tanked at the box office.
It was considered an embarrassment. And the reviews... the
reviews! I seriously did not read worse pans since
"Battlefield Earth." Ouch. A nasty hit. I missed it in
theaters, since the movie opened and closed within a few
weeks, but I will admit I am a Green fan. His charades are
wild, funny and amusing and he has great comic
sensibilities. So how is "Freddy Got Fingered"? Is it really
as bad as everyone says it is? I don't think so.
"Freddy Got Fingered" tells the story of twenty-eight
year-old Gord Brody (Green), a wannabe animator who tries to
impress hotshot David Davidson (Anthony Michael Hall -
gasp!) with his creation while working at a cheese sandwich
factor. Davidson chews Gord out, and as a result, Gord moves
back home with his parents. However, Gord and his Dad (Rip
Torn) don't exactly get along. Chaos, of course, ensues
between the two.
Personally, I think "Freddy Got Fingered" is just an 87
minute series of sketches that are tied together and act as
fuel to show off Green's wacky antics and style. I also
think that Green knows this. I believe that he didn't go and
set out to create a comedy that would make sense and be on a
high caliber level. I believe that he just created something
that he could have fun with and that something audiences and
his fans could have fun with. A lot of this movie features
pointless scenes that only serve to laugh or ridicule, and
don't advance the story. Depending on the way you look at
it, you may hate that or like it. Personally, I'm in
between. Yes they're funny, but it feels like filler and
just nothing really. So it serves it purpose in one way, and
in another it doesn't. "Freddy Got Fingered" is just a
vehicle for Green. Nothing more or nothing less.
The script, written by Green and long time collaborator
Derek Harvie, accomplishes what it's supposed to. That, as I
said, is a vehicle for Green. There's a lot of crazy
moments, as I said, that are just for laughs and don't add
for the film. Simply a tool to show Green's comedic acting.
Still, there's a lot of irrelevance and it just doesn't add
up plotwise. It's all gross-out comedy, a trend audiences
used to love and now audiences are getting sick of, which
may be a result why this movie failed at the box office. The
dialogue is a lot of random screaming with curse words,
while the situations are just far out bizarre and sick. The
characters are developed rather nicely. They're not fully
fleshed out, but you do get a sense of them. This movie is
basically uneven and lacks much depth, but it's fun. Still,
in the end, there's not much sense to be made and the ending
is terrible with no meaning to what the film sets up. It's
just a device for a sick joke (as you probably figured). The
same thing with this movie's title... it's just for a laugh
and doesn't add much to the film except father/son conflict.
But what there's not too much focus on Freddy and... oh
forget it, it's all with good fun in the flick's context.
Green as a director is pretty good and he impressed me.
It's his first directorial debut, and not a bad one at that.
Yes, the editing in some places could have been a bit
better, but you learn with experience. Despite the movie
really not making much sense and being random as well as
assorted, it's short (one hour and twenty-two minutes plus
five minutes of credits) and has a good flow. Green sets up
running gags and nice shots. Definently not a bad debut as a
director, and he'll probably hone his skills more and become
a better director if he chooses to make more films.
The performances in this movie are good and the
performers play off Green good. Let's get Green out of the
way first... it's his usual self. He's outrageous, he yells,
he acts crazy and tempestuous. It's all Green here as he
runs it all. So if you like his acting and antics, his
craziness will please you. Rip Torn comes off as a good
father (as a character, not a person) who happens to be a
maniac. Torn and Green do share a good chemistry with their
banter on screen. Marisa Coughlan is a good love interest,
while Eddie Kay Thomas, Anthony Michael Hall (wowza!), Julie
Hagerty (what's she doing in this?) and Harland Williams
shine in their smaller, less-developed roles.
Overall, "Freddy Got Fingered" might as well be called
"The Tom Green Movie." His fans will love it and those who
like sick humor will too. Those who don't like the genre,
don't like Tom Green and don't like random assorted crap
probably won't. Still, it's not as bad as everyone says it
is. It really could have been worse.
"Freddy Got Fingered" is presented in its original 1.85:1
anamorphic aspect ratio, and this is another terrific
transfer from our friends at Fox. The print used for this
transfer is really clean. Blemishes and scratches pop up
here and there, but they're rare and never really so
distracting. Some shimmering also appears now and then but
it's nothing major and also a rare case. There is no edge
enhancement and some visual grain is there, but like the
little flaws on the print it does not add up to much. Colors
and black levels are great, while detail is pretty good.
Color saturation is perfectly fine, so are fleshtones and
hues as they appear accurate. Still, I didn't think this
transfer was as vibrant as other Fox transfer, it looked
just a tiny bit dull in comparison and didn't give off the
full 3-D look as I've come to expect. Don't get me wrong,
this is one nice transfer and has quite a pleasing image.
"Freddy Got Fingered" has a rather rocking and active 5.1
Dolby Digital English track that is certainly pleasant to
listen to. There's a good balance between sounds. Dialogue
is crisp and easy to hear , it's quite clear and the
background noises are fine against it. The music, whether
it's touching melodrama instrumental that feels like it's
right out of a TV movie or hard punk rock, sounds quite well
and fills the channels rather nicely. .1 LFE extension is
good in this mix, as well as surrounds. Getting hit by a
truck, crashes, skateboarding and other action-packed scenes
make for great channel use and brings in a nice experience.
Overall, this 5.1 mix is rather good and suits the material
well as it sees to embody what it has. English and French
Dolby Surround tracks are included as well as English closed
captioning plus English and Spanish subtitles.
While it's not labeled a special edition, I think it
should be as "Freddy Got Fingered" features a lot of pretty
great supplements. This disc is plentiful in content and
really has a lot of funny stuff. First off, we have a
Audio Commentary With Tom Green. Love him or hate
him, this is his first track I believe (it seems like it
especially when he fiddles with the film's volume, his
questions about using curse words and his opening remarks)
and it's actually one of the best tracks I've heard lately.
Green seems a bit nervous and talks fast, but that's a good
thing as he just keeps rolling and rolling with information.
I wasn't sure how Green would play it out - would he be
rather serious when talking about his directorial debut or
just spit out ridiculous information and funny lines? Well,
it seems to be a bit of both and that is a great thing in my
opinion. Green has some really hilarious comments (I did
enjoy his Fox logo remark), but in seriousness he talks
about his inspirations and things he has done in the past
that made it into the film. Yes, Mr. Green can actually be
pretty insightful. Still, while there is serious stuff
there's a lot that's all in his nature - crazy rambling...
especially about body parts. He mocks the critics too, and
it's amazing how he can make some worthwhile comments and
the next instant his comments are just disgusting and funny.
The track has a good flow though and thankfully, Green
doesn't pause and keeps going. He's consistent, talks about
changes the film had and whatnot, repeats what's on screen
sometimes BUT THEN discusses them in-depth and offers just
his wacky brand of humor. It's rather funny and interesting,
so fans of the film (okay, just Tom Green fans) or need a
good laugh, listen to this.
Okay, so they aren't feature-length, but three actors
bring in their perspective on the film for a few scenes and
share commentary on those - most likely since they are
supporting actors and aren't in every single scene. Anyway,
the first of these sorts of commentary is with Hardland
Williams. Williams is joined by his agent Carl. I found
this to be a waste of time. Williams makes a lot of stupid
comments and tries to be funny, but he's not. While he
attempts to provide insight, it falls flat. Ugh, just avoid
it. It's not funny at all.
The next, with actress Marisa Coughlan is much
better. She has a very good approach to it. She reveals cuts
the film faced, her audition and is very warm with her
comments. She provides insight about the filming, her
character and Tom Green's "madness." It's not all screen
specific, but still quite good and worth a listen.
Finally, Rip Torn himself is the last of these
scene audio commentaries. Torn calls the backward man bit
"genius" and gives a hearty chuck. Torn praises Green and
was impressed with him. Torn seems like he really wanted to
be involved in the project, and offers a warm approach. He
also makes jokes, talks about a scene he didn't like and
really just has a good time talking about what's on screen.
There is a rather funny PG Rated Version of this R
rated film. As you would expect, it's cut... to three
minutes! It's in 1.85:1 letterbox and two channel sound, and
once again, I'm annoyed Fox didn't bother to make something
widescreen anamorphic. Anyway, this is rather funny and
worth a watch since it's so short. It seems more like rated
G even... I guess the word "sucks" makes it PG. Still, it's
clips from the film tied together and with a wacky announcer
narrating the story. There's a rare case where you'll hear
dialogue from the film, but they make it like a joke and aim
it for children and actually make it preachy to an extent as
far as morals. They make it corny, goofy and cheesy, and
it's just really funny (I thought so). Don't miss it!
The World Premiere Laugh Track is a really
interesting feature and the first time something like this
has been featured on DVD. Someone recorded the audio from
the people in the audience at the film's world premiere that
was on March 21st, 2001 (you even get Green's opening
remarks before the showing). This is a great feature,
personally. You sorta feel like you're in the audience with
all the cheers, chanting and laughs. I found, and I'm sure
people can agree, that sometimes when you watch a comedy
without many people, it's not that funny and you don't
really feel so part of the experience. Seeing a film in the
theater is important, at least to me, as you experience
something with others at the same time. This actually helps
to recreate that experience, so if you're alone and feel
like having the created feeling of more around you, this is
a nice feature. Some may consider this a novelty, but I hope
other releases do follow suit with this. It doesn't exactly
create the whole experience of being in a theater, but it
really does help. Again, I found this to be a great feature.
The MTV "Freddy Got Fingered" Special is included
on the disc (wow, they called it the "most significant day
of American cinema"). Obviously, this is no in-depth
documentary but a fun and enjoyable look at making the
movie. It has behind-the-scenes footage, clips and
interviews. Green hosts it, offers sick facts and shows
interviews and stuff on-the-set which can be uh,
interesting. Not your typical promotional featurette, and I
can only see gross out humor fans and Green fans liking
this.
We are treated to some non-anamorphic, completed and good
quality (as far as transfer) Deleted Scenes. There
are six of them, each with optional Green commentary (with
the exception of "Uncle Neal's House," you can only watch
the scene with Green commentary). Since this movie is
completely nonsensical, you would figure these would fit
right back into the movie. But for whatever reason or
another, Green cut them and talks about them and the cuts on
his optional commentary for these. Like the film commentary,
his comments are more of the same. However, since he talks
about cutting, Green is a lot more serious here and offers
good stories and answers questions about the cuts. The
scenes are "Sucking The Cow," "Uncle Neal's House," "Cheese
Sandwich Factory," "Quitting The Job," "Apocalypse Homage,"
and "Reference To Boat Scene." Fans of the film should check
em out.
There is your standard Fox promotional Featurette
with clips, on-the-set footage and interviews with Green...
basically. More of the same as we come to expect, though it
can be fun thanks to Green.
Finally, you have detailed Cast and Crew Bios, a
Soundtrack Spot, the full frame Theatrical
Trailer and Four TV Spots to view, also funny and
worth watching. On another note, the menus are very
enjoyable and are really well animated. They fit within the
film and just work within the context.
Who knows how well this movie will do on video, as
Green's core audience didn't show up to see this movie in
the theaters so who knows if they will on video. In any
case, Fox has provided a spiffy DVD version of the film. The
presentation is fabulous and the supplements are well worth
getting into. Green fans and fans who do enjoy ridiculous
comedies, be sure to check it out.
 (2.5/5 - NOT included in
final score)
 (4/5)
(4/5)
 (3.5/5)
(4/5,
NOT an average)
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