rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 2001
Directed by Gregory Poirier; produced by Paul Kurta, Tony Ludwig, Alan Riche; written by Gregory Poirier
Starring Jerry O'Connell, Shannon Elizabeth, Jake Busey, Horatio Sanz, Jaime Pressly, Bernie Casey
The teen comedy, except for 'American Pie' and Judd Apatow's work, seems bound to fail. Filmmakers are not even trying anymore to come up with insightful ideas. In the films that work the characters show at least some level of reality. 'Tomcats' belongs to the group of stupid rip-offs. It does not understand comedy very well, which is the result of not understanding people in general. Sometimes the film gives us the idea it knows how stupid it is (with spoofs scenes and everything), but the next minute they play it pretty straight again.
The story follows the usual clichés. Guy uses girl to get money from some other guy but realizes he loves the girl himself. How and why? Who really cares? Every obligatory scene comes along, including a disgusting one where something is eaten that should never be eaten. If the jokes work you would not hear me complain, but most of the time they simply don't. The film wants it too badly, and as a result even the working gags are blown because they are stredged until they are not funny anymore. If you are not a die hard fan of the genre, there are better ways to spend your time.