Review of Stripperland (2011) by Our L — 06 Apr 2012

WTF! (Wow, This is Far-out!) This is the short version of the movie review.

In 2009 Columbia Pictures released a movie called "Zombieland", and it was an amazingly different kind of zombie movie. Two years later, in 2011, Cheezy Flicks (Love that honesty) released a parody called "Stripperland". This movie is, in my humble opinion, a truly bizarre and enjoyable experience. Rather than try to copy every major element of "Zombieland", the writers only made parody versions of the main characters and a handful of events.

Like many low budget parodies (the estimated budget was $500,000), "Stripperland" is rife with amateurish special effects, trite dialogue, and over-acting, but it is done in such a way as to be actually quite enjoyable. Many of these movies get lambasted with criticisms like "stupid" and "sophomoric", and Stripperland is all of these things, but that doesn't mean it's not worth watching. This movie has its predictable moments, but it also has some jaw-dropping surprises in it.

Basically, it's a guilty pleasure. Much in the way that a gourmet will secretly enjoy McDonald's, or an aficionado of opera will tap their foot to "Ice, Ice, Baby", this movie can easily be enjoyed even by those who prefer movies like "the Silence of the Lambs", "Titanic", or "Avatar". However, as one of my friends put it: "It hurted my brain".

My rating: C- (B+ for the fun factor).