Film fails to bring scares and laughs

If during your daily routine today you happen to witness someone trip, stumble or fall down, congratulations, you've pretty much seen "Scary Movie 4." Looks like the "Scary Movie" franchise has run out of steam, and rather abruptly too, considering "Scary Movie 3" was surprisingly entertaining. \nThe film begins with a weak "Saw" parody featuring Dr. Phil and Shaq, especially when compared to the hilarious intros spoofing "Scream," "The Exorcist" and "The Ring" that began the previous three films. This unfunny sequence sets the pace for the rest of the painful film. \nThis time around Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris) gets a job nursing an elderly woman living in a haunted house where she discovers a young boy who has been murdered. The ghost warns her of a world wide alien attack which brings Anna to a strange village where one man may have the answer on how to stop the assault. The problem with this fourth installment is it simply dresses the actors in the same costumes and recreates the production design of the film being made fun of without actually doing anything funny. Practically every joke is the same, an unfunny gag of somebody being repeatedly hit over the head. Any joke that does work, and there are a few, gets drawn out and becomes so over the top that it is no longer funny. \nIt would have helped if the film branched off from the four primary films it spoofs ("Saw," "The Grudge," "The Village" and "War of the Worlds"), though "Million Dollar Baby" and "Fahrenheit 9/11" get their share of ridicule this time around. By only limiting itself to these four sources, the film gets to the point where it has recreated so many scenes from the originals that it feels more like a remake rather than a parody. \nThe always dependable Anna Faris is still stuck playing Cindy Campbell. Poor Anna, she's a great comedic actress (check out her scene-stealing cameos in "Lost in Translation" and "Brokeback Mountain") and deserves better. It's about time she headlines her own, smarter movie. Another mildly enjoyable comedic talent comes from Craig Bierko, whose Tom Cruise impression is so dead on it sometimes sounds like voice tracks of Cruise are being used. While the Oprah couch jumping scene is funny, almost a year later it is a little dated. \nHow great would it have been if the screenwriters had planned ahead by having Cindy give birth to Tom's alien baby, spoofing the classic horror film "Rosemary's Baby." Then Cindy could be denied medication during birth due to her new religious beliefs. Oh well, guess we have to rely on "South Park" to stick it to Scientology.\nAfter pulling in over $40 million in its opening weekend, it's inevitable "Scary Movie 5" will get the green-light, which might not necessarily be bad. Hopefully the film will get back to its R-rated roots. That way we can laugh at good old fashioned vulgarity instead of obnoxious slapstick.