Screwed MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +2 Content: -2 1/2

Comedians Norm Macdonald, Danny DeVito and Dave Chappelle star in this mindless, slapstick comedy about a butler named Willard Fillmore (Macdonald) who takes revenge on his abusive, stingy employer, Miss Crock (Elaine Stritch). Willard teams up with Rusty (Chappelle), his restaurant owner buddy, to kidnap Miss Crocks prized pooch and extract a ransom from her. But the scheme goes awry when the pooch escapes, so they fool her into thinking Willard has been kidnapped and demand a ransom for his return. Inane, amateurish comedy antics and dialogue dominate the film, including a bizarre coroner played by DeVito and his gruesome operations in a morgue. This dumb comedy wont win critical acclaim, but theres a substantial youth audience who will go for it. So, it may not prove to be as big a bomb as many critics suspect.

Not surprising, this PG-13 rated comedy is full of crude bathroom humor, sexually suggestive innuendoes and plenty of obscenities and profanities. While not as severely crude and profane as many R-rated comedies, its still trash. Elderly Miss Crock hired Willard hoping he would provide her with sexual favors, just as his father had done as her butler. Since Willard isnt interested, she treats him like a slave. But its implied Willard and his girlfriend have a sexual relationship, although no sex scenes are shown. Miss Crocks business advisor (Sherman Helmsley) apparently has a sexual relationship with her, but its also comically implied he is homosexual. Particularly disgusting is the constant use of slang crudities including comical references to sex and genitalia, as well as at least 30 obscenities. And, of course, the word screw is used several times in a crude sense. The profane use of sacred words such Jesus, Jesus Christ , God and Jesus-Joseph-Mary is also very offensive. The danger in couching these offensive elements in a comical setting is that audiences, particularly vulnerable youth, are more likely to become insensitive to their use. Avoid this one like the plague.

Preview Reviewer: John Evans
Distributor: Universal Pictures, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608