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Fights of Spring

EW.com looks at ''Tomcats,'' ''Say It Isn't So,'' and new comedies from Tom Green and David Spade

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Which raunchy spring movie will be a hit? | tomcats_l

BREAST FRIENDS O'Connell lives on his own temptation island in ''Tomcats''

All About

Freddy Got Fingered

By Lori Reese

Spring's finally here, time to slam down the books, break out the bikinis, and hit the sun -- or at least find a dark theater to watch young adults in bikinis chasing sex, sun, and the perfect, amnesia producing kegger. Well, no upcoming movies fit this bill exactly, but there ARE four raunchy new releases that hope to warm Spring Break audiences: the Farrelly Brothers produced ''Say It Isn't So'' opened last week, to be followed by the bachelor -centric ''Tomcats'' (March 30). And two gross out comedies, ''Joe Dirt'' and Tom Green's ''Freddy Got Fingered,'' are coming in April. But with so much competition, will any of these movies score at the box office?

Of all the recent flicks that cashed in on frolicking young adults, two stand out: ''American Pie'' (which grossed $102 million in 1999) and last summer's ''Road Trip'' ($68.2 million). Both were low cost features with no big stars, but with a winning combination of outrageous comedy (Tom Green's dining on a rodent in ''Road Trip'') and raunchy high jinks (Jason Biggs' rendezvous with a baked dessert in ''Pie'') that analysts say is tough to match.

''Outlandish humor that really pushes the envelope -- that's what this audience wants,'' says Paul Dergarabedian of box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. ''Each film needs one really shocking scene that people can go back to. That's what starts the buzz,'' adds Robert Bucksbaum of Reel Source. '''American Pie' had it, 'Road Trip' had it; these movies need it, too.''

EW.com gives you the verdict on which of this year's lewd, crude movies will score, and which will die lonely.

''Say It Isn't So'' (in theaters)
STARS Chris Klein (''American Pie''), Heather Graham
THE PITCH A young man searching for his parents is mistakenly informed that the woman he loves is his sister.
FOR IT ''Say'''s association with gross out kings Peter and Bobby Farrelly (''There's Something About Mary'') is touted in the trailers. Also, it's the first spring break film out of the gate. ''The timing is right on it,'' says Dergarabedian.
AGAINST IT ''A young man searching for his parents is just not a funny concept,'' says Bucksbaum. ''In fact, it's kind of tragic. And it has nothing in common with 'Mary.'''
THE VERDICT Most audiences will just say no.

''Tomcats'' (March 30)
STARS Jerry O'Connell (''Mission to Mars''), Shannon Elizabeth (''American Pie'')
THE PITCH Buddies bet on who among them will be the last remaining bachelor. Seven years later, one tries to force his pal to marry so he can pay off a gambling debt.
FOR IT According to those who have seen ''Tomcats,'' it's a genuinely funny movie with a jaw dropping scene involving the use of a sensitive part of the male anatomy as a souvenir. ''Everyone's going to be talking about this film,'' says Bucksbaum. '''Tomcats' just says spring break to me,'' agrees Dergarabedian.
AGAINST IT Jerry O'Who? Elizabeth is a Maxim cover girl, but she doesn't yet have marquee clout, and the rest of the cast are virtual unknowns. Then again, ''Road Trip'' didn't have any stars either.
THE VERDICT ''Tomcats'' has the best chance at the kitty.

''Joe Dirt'' (April 11)
STARS David Spade, Kid Rock, Dennis Miller
THE PITCH A trailer park raised idiot searches for his parents, who abandoned him at birth in the Grand Canyon.
FOR IT The PG-13 rating. ''Joe'' is the only film in this group that's legally accessible to the under 17 crowd.
AGAINST IT The PG-13 rating. ''It's the R rated fare that teens like,'' says Dergarabedian. Plus, Bucksbaum repeats, a lost parents plot ain't funny.
THE VERDICT ''Joe'' might not be dirty enough for teens.

''Freddy Got Fingered'' (April 20)
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Tom Green
THE PITCH A downtrodden man is forced to move in with his parents. Then he refuses to leave.
FOR IT Green, the current don of finger down the throat shenanigans for the twentysomething set
AGAINST IT The movie's ONLY selling point is Green. ''The tastes of this crowd change constantly,'' says Bucksbaum. ''It's really tough to call.''
THE VERDICT ''Freddy'' is due for a healthy portion of green stuff, provided the plot is -- nah, forget the plot. We want to see if Tom is willing to bypass the road kill and eat an entire car.

Posted Mar 29, 2001 | Order Article Reprints