Instant Favorite.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

I'm pretty weary of this genre...the stupid comedy. Half-witted guys who, because they aren't capable of "using their words" do stupid things. But as such movies go, "Saving Silverman" isn't (more than) half bad.My reason for watching this movie was to see Neil Diamond. I've been a fan for decades and it was fun to hear him sing and see him act, even if he did participate in the brainless behavior which is the métier of "Saving Silverman."Though few and far between, there was enough wit to sustain my interest in between the blockhead slapstick that makes up most of the film. I could have done with more Neil Diamond...but that's just me...

Wayne LeFessier (Steve Zahn), J.D. McNugent (Jack Black), and Darren Silverman (Jason Biggs) are childhood best friends Neil Diamond fanatics. Wayne was the third string high school quarterback. J.D. was the idiot mascot. Darren was a hopelessly romantic male cheerleader pining for fellow cheerleader Sandy (Amanda Detmer). Psychologist Judith (Amanda Peet) is bitchy and has Darren wrapped around her finger. She forbids him from hanging with his two loser friends. In desperation, they kidnap her to stop their wedding. Sandy comes back into their lives. She lost her love Luigi in a trapeze accident and is going into the nunnery.It's surprising that these three comedy stars couldn't do better. Amanda Peet is not the best at playing the bitch. That's one of its big problems. She doesn't really give the audience permission to root for the two idiots. The Steve Zahn, Jack Black duo have some good bumbling fun. Eventually Peet does get angry enough to be funny. Director Dennis Dugan had made a couple of Adam Sandler movies before this and this has very similar sensibilities. Sadly he has continued to follow Adam Sandler as they both slide into the comedy wilderness.

I just streamed this and it seemed a little slow and stupid with the Neil Diamond tribute band in the beginning but then it gets really funny after the kidnapping. I'm not a particularly big fan of Jason Biggs but I stuck with it because generally everything Jack Black is in is gold but here I would say Amanda Peet puts on the command performance. I previously have not been familiar with her but here she is just ravishing and dominating at the same time. Let's just say she can really handle herself! The funniest dialog is the impromptu psychoanalyzing but I can't say too much about that without giving away plot points.

As a Frenchman, i can find easily a lot of comedies that makes me laugh (those with De Funes, Youn, ...). Abroard, i think to "Mr. Bean" (english) and i can find also a real funny American show ("Married with children"). But, right now, to find American movies where i laugh a lot is difficult except maybe those with Chevy Chase and this one! I don't say here that American movies don't make me laugh: i just say that they can't make me laugh all along. So this one is a little surprise and i thank Amanda for her choice. In this movie, she plays a sexy bad girl, which are two new things for her. She is surrounded by an excellent cast that leaves for one time the support roles for the big stage (Zahn, Detmer and Ermey). The movie is great because it builds upon a truth: what happen to friends when one got married? Again, i don't think this idea has been used a lot of times and here, it is played with genius: the script is silly but never fails into craziness in spite of it's not easy to walk on this thin line. In addition, the action takes places in a sweet town at the ocean so the exterior are refreshing. Thus, you can believe me: after the good laughs at the start, you will keep your smile for another hour!