On paper, 2013’s “Movie 43” sounded like an intriguing premise: A comedy anthology film helmed by filmmakers such as James Gunn, Elizabeth Banks, Bob Odenkirk, and Peter Farrelly. What could go wrong? Absolutely everything, apparently, as it joins the infamous list of terrible movies everyone assumed would be great. Sitting on a 5% critical approval rating score on Rotten Tomatoes, people would be hard-pressed to find anyone who enjoyed what Screen-Space dubbed “a grotesque spectacle.”
Hugh Jackman stars in the Farrelly-directed segment, titled “The Catch,” as the handsome Davis, who heads out on a date with Kate Winslet’s Beth at a restaurant. To Beth’s horror, Davis takes off his scarf to show off a pair of testicles hanging from his neck, which becomes the expected topic of conversation — and the punchline of the jokes — for the rest of the evening. Yeah, it’s a ballsy story, to put it plainly, but someone forgot to include the actual comedy in the script here.
While it’s admirable that Jackman would sign up for such a risky role, this should have been an unequivocal “no” from the start. Alternative Lens’ Jenny Heaton agrees with this sentiment, writing: “I am sincerely disappointed with everyone involved in this travesty and they should have all known better.”
