Sadly Over-hyped

Let's be realistic.

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Never let it be said that only the British can do political satire. Here we see five (liberally-minded) housemates start poisoning all those who they believe will cause more harm than good in life.Hardly a topic for comedy you might think, but then what you get is the blackest of black humour imaginable. However, it's not just darkly comic, but it also poses quite a few questions about morality along the way. You'll find yourself agreeing with both sides' points of view at some stage I'm sure.Plus, all the performances are equally strong - Cameron Diaz in a most 'un-Cameron Diaz-like' role, but it's Ron Perlman and Bill Paxton who probably steal their respective scenes.If you're looking for a laugh-a-minute comedy with a feel-good vibe to it, then steer clear. However, if you're after something much nastier which will make you think, while even raising the odd smile, then give this a go.

Group of grad students in Iowa--roommates living in a large house with a big backyard--invite a stranded trucker to dine with them one evening which ultimately results in a confrontation over beliefs and ideals, culminating in the man's demise. Soon after burying the obnoxious lout, the liberal gang comes to an agreement: why not clean up their state (and, thereby, the country) in the same fashion, one Conservative Republican at a time! Poorly-made dark comedy is shot and presented like a lame television show, even though the intrinsic idea in Dan Rosen's screenplay is a provocative one. The students share a united dilemma (how long should they let a potential victim ramble on with his or her hate-speech before they treat them to their brand of poisoned wine?), yet Rosen doesn't develop the ensuing turn of events with any aplomb. Worse, the liberal youths (meant to be as extremist-left as their victims are extremist-right) quickly turn smug and psychotic, losing their quirks and misguided appeal. *1/2 from ****

A group of self-righteous liberals decide to start killing people who have beliefs different from their own. Their victims emerge from leftist central casting and are typical caricatures as viewed by their murderers. Apparently anyone who disagrees with their world view and doesn't repent during dinner deserves to die.This just happened to be on HBO when I turned the channel and the description sounded interesting enough, and there were recognizable actors in it. Figured it might not be too bad.The production values themselves seem relatively OK, its just the story and acting that is weak beyond belief. How they got any recognizable names into this stink fest is the real mystery here.

Five liberal friends - sweet Jude (Cameron Diaz), sarcastic Luke (Courtney B. Vance), naive Pete (Ron Eldard), painter Marc (Jonathan Penner) and his girlfriend Paulie (Annabeth Gish) kill violent thug Zachary (Bill Paxton) and develop a plan based on the old "would you murder young Hitler?" moral dilemma ("The conservatives are effective. They do things. All we do is buy animal-friendly mascara").The movie skewers fanaticism on both sides, mocking both the ignorance of a certain right and the arrogance of a certain left. Both the increasingly blood-thirsty friends and their hilariously stupid guests are mercilessly made fun of. The best performances belong to Courtney B. Vance as Luke ("I say we bury the cracker and have dessert") and to Ron Perlman, chewing scenery as ultra-conservative Arbuthnot ("We took this country from Indians but what were they doing with it anyway?"). Diaz, Gish and Eldard are adequate; Penner, however, is amateurish. The actors playing the doomed guests (including Charles Durning and Jason Alexander) have fun with their small, cartoonish roles.Decent black comedies are a rarity today, so hooray for this one.7/10