2006 NEWFEST-Strangers with Candy

          I had seen a handful of episodes of the Comedy Central sitcom
  "Strangers with Candy," so I was at least familiar with the premise
  of the show. My reaction to what I had seen ranged from laugh-out-loud
  to cringe-inducing, and in part, the same applied to the hit-or-miss
  feature film version, which serves as a prequel of sorts to the TV
  show.

          It still remains the same story: 47-year-old Jerri Blank (Amy
  Sedaris) has been released from prison, returns homes and discovers
  that things have changed in the 32 years she's been away. First off,
  her mother has died. Secondly, her father has remarried and sired
  a son. Lastly, daddy has fallen into a coma. At the suggestion of the
  wacky family physician (Ian Holm, in one of the film's many quirky
  cameos) who notices that Jerri's presence seems to have some sort
  of effect on her father (Dan Hedaya), Jerri settles in and decides to
  begin her life anew by picking up exactly where she left off.

          So she enrolls in high school. So we have a student who is older
  than most of the teachers (never mind the other student), with a prison
  record and a history of alcohol and drug abuse -- never mind all sorts of
  sexual experiences. Did I also mention that Jerri has a terrible overbite,
  is slightly cross-eyed and is pear-shaped (to put it nicely)?

          The movie, co-written by Sedaris, Stephen Colbert (cast as a
  closeted bisexual born-again science teacher) and director Paul
  Dinello (who appears as the openly gay art teacher involved with
  Colbert's science geek), is chockablock full of sight gags, verbal
  puns and amusing moments. Because the jokes fly at a rapid pace,
  some hit the mark while others miss by a mile. The film plays like
  a lost episode of the TV series -- and that is both its genius and its
  pitfall. Jerri isn't a likable character and she may perhaps be
  better viewed in small doses (like, say, a 22-minute episode). Spread
  out over close to 90 minutes, she can be a bit trying.

          The film also feels overstuffed in terms of story. It's as if the makers
  decided to cram as much as they could into the movie and the result
  is something of an embarrassment of riches. It's both a blessing and
  a curse.

          STRANGERS WITH CANDY opened the 18th annual NewFest
  before settling into a theatrical run on June 28, 2006.

                                          Rating:        C+

Strangers with Candy