Ex-User, Boozer, Loser Is No Snoozer
I was in beautiful (not to mention bloody hot) Montreal this weekend and thanks to the quick, thoughtful thinking of my sexy travelling companion was able to attend the Canadian premiere of the hysterical new comedy flick, Strangers with Candy. The screening was part of Comedia, the film component of the wildly popular Just for Laughs Festival (which runs from July 1 to 31).
Strangers is the prequel to Comedy Central’s late ‘90s hit television of the same name and stars Amy Sedaris as sweetly scattered Jerri Blank, a 46 year old former heroin/alcohol/sex fiend AND ex-con who upon release from 32 years of life behind bars returns to high school in a bid to start her life over. Many of the film’s plotlines were inspired by the after-school specials from the ‘70s and ‘80s; the type of melodramatic material that is as easy to satirize as it is to shoot fish in a barrel, or take candy from a baby.
Sedaris and co-stars/co-writers Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello (who also directs the film) are no strangers to comedy and with Jerri Blank have created an oh so memorable and hilarious character. Not only did I laugh my ass off at the screening but long afterwards, too; which is always a welcome (if somewhat rare) reaction to any film…unless of course it wasn’t intended to make you laugh in the first place.
For you star junkies, the movie is loaded with award-winning familiar faces in small roles: Allison Janney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Ian Holm, and Kristen Johnston, to name more than a few.
There are far too many examples of hilarious dialogue and/or scenes to tease you with just one, so I’ll refrain altogether. But I will offer a helpful tip. Like Jerri, this flick is not drink-friendly, so you may want to hold off on purchasing that gallon of soda at the concessions stand beforehand. Otherwise, you may end up with most of it in your lap…and not from spilling it either. Strangers with Candy is that piss your pants funny.
Cheers!
S.R.
