Variety
An appalling misfire that tries and fails to evoke the anything-goes spirit of such '70s sketch-comedy concoctions as "The Groove Tube" and "Kentucky Fried Movie."
Full review
Movie 43
Thirteen directors team up with an eclectic mass of all-star actors and actresses in this hefty collection of R-rated comedic shorts. Cast includes Emma Stone, Hugh Jackman, Uma Thurman, Halle Berry, Gerard Butler, Richard Gere, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Chloë Grace Moretz and Stephen Merchant.
Director and producer Peter Farrelly can explain it best: "Movie 43 is the brain child of Charlie Wessler, who produces lots of our movies. Basically, he wanted to do a Kentucky Fried Movie type of movie with a bunch of shorts... So Movie 43 is that kind of movie with a wrap-around, and the wrap-around is: two 15-year-old stoners and their 11-year-old egghead brother/computer whiz, who are trying to find the elusive Movie 43.
"It’s the most banned movie in the world. It was banned in all countries because it’s so subversive. They are trying to find it on the internet. They keep breaking into other banned sites and movie archives and finding these other shorts. After every two or three movies, you come back to these kids who are still looking, but someone is trying to stop them from finding Movie 43 and that starts turning."
Less2012Rating: R16, contains violence, offensive language, sexual material & other content that may offend94 minsUSA
Comedy
- Director:
- Elizabeth BanksSteven BrillSteve CarrRusty CundieffJames DuffyGriffin DunnePeter FarrellyPatrik ForsbergJames GunnBob OdenkirkBrett RatnerWill GrahamJonathan van Tulleken
- Writer:
- Rocky RussoJeremy SosenkoPatrik Forsberg
- Cast:
- Emma StoneChloë Grace MoretzGerard ButlerHugh JackmanElizabeth BanksKristen BellKate WinsletNaomi WattsAnna FarisKate BosworthUma ThurmanSeann William ScottJustin LongRichard GereJason SudeikisLiev SchreiberKieran CulkinPatrick WarburtonJohnny KnoxvilleTony ShalhoubHalle BerryChris PrattChristopher Mintz-PlasseJosh DuhamelCommonGreg KinnearDennis QuaidJ.B. SmooveStephen Merchant
Movie 43 | Reviews
Total Film
Quite why A-listers Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman and Emma Stone (among others) aligned themselves with this excruciatingly moronic compilation of shorts is anybody's guess.
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Time Out
As sick-making sketch comedies go, this stupefyingly bad one - somehow rife with A-list talent - must rank near the very bottom.
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Los Angeles Times
How many directors does it take to screw in a star-studded piece of aggressive stupidity and call it a movie? An even dozen, and there is no punch line.
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Movie 43 | Trailers
Movie 43 | Release Details
Movie 43 is available to stream in New Zealand now on Google Play and Prime Video and Apple TV and Academy On Demand.