Strangers with Candy - The Movie

Nerdia and I viewed the long-awaited Strangers with Candy film with great expectations. We were avid fans of the the Comedy Central TV show that chronicled the tough life lessons learned by Jerri Blank (Amy Sedaris), a recovering addict and former prostitute who returns home to finish high school and lives with her comatose father, shrewish stepmom, bullying half-brother. I own the DVDs and even own a DVD of the source material - Afterschool Special (I have the classic one where Rob Lowe becomes a teen dad). Unfortunately, our great expectations weren't met. Despite amusing cameos from Sarah Jessica Parker, Philip Seymour Hoffman and some actors who only have two names, the film falls a bit flat. I think the plot, which just revolves around Jerri's attempt to win a science fair and wake her dad from his coma, is simply too slight for a 90-minute movie. Think of all the SNL sketches that failed when stretched into full-length features like A Night at the Roxbury or It's Pat, and you'll have an idea. Still, the film has some entertaining moments, and Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert are as hilarious as ever. I'd love to see them do a movie adaptation of their book Wigfield - there's plenty of material there.