Underground Comedy Movie
Encyclopedia
The Underground Comedy Movie is a 1999
film
directed by and starring Vince Offer
. It features music by NOFX
and Guttermouth
, among others.
Although the film was released and screened in 1999, Offer was bankrupt by 2002 and home video distribution plans were shelved. Offer, who had previously been a successful vegetable chopper salesman and businessman, resumed selling vegetable choppers at swap meets to support himself and raise money to complete his film project. Within a few months, he had earned enough to resume production, and the movie was finally completed, released, and marketed entirely on late-night infomercials that Offer paid for with his earnings from the swap meet vegetable chopper sales. The film has sold in excess of 10,000 copies and Offer has used the proceeds from sales to file a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology
, himself an ex-Scientologist. The film was set to be re-released with additional scenes in 2011 under the name Underground Comedy 2010.
loudly using the restroom and a superhero named "Dickman", dressed in a penis
costume who defeats his enemies by squirting them with semen
, based on sketches Offer originally performed on a Public-access television
show he had hosted. The 2010 remake was to add an additional scene where Lindsay Lohan
went on a shooting spree against paparazzi. The film went direct to video and consistently rates in IMDB's
bottom 100 movies. Lawrence Van Gelder in The New York Times
wrote a scathing review of the film, saying the movie "stands as a monument to ineptitude and self-delusion."
and the co-directors of There's Something About Mary
, Bobby
and Peter Farrelly
. Offer claimed that 14 scenes in Mary were lifted from his film. The Farrellys released this statement: "We've never heard of him, we've never heard of his movie, and it's all a bunch of baloney." The case was dismissed with prejudice on a motion for summary judgment
by order of the court in 2000, and Twentieth Century Fox was awarded $66,336.92 in attorneys' fees.
In 2000, Offer successfully sued Anna Nicole Smith
for $4 million, claiming that Smith had agreed to be in his movie, but backed out in 1996 over fears that appearing in the movie would be detrimental to her career. Offer won the lawsuit, but the case was settled anyway.
In 2004, Offer sent out a press release through prnews.com announcing his intention to sue the Church of Scientology. In 1997, while production was ongoing, the Church of Scientology
had allegedly begun a large-scale smear campaign
against Offer and his film (Offer was a Scientologist at the time).
The director claimed the Scientologists' "Celebrity Center" in Hollywood labeled him a "criminal" (based on the rules of Scientology) and threatened his Scientology friends in the movie business with "condemnation" punishment that could be lethal to their careers if they did not write malicious reports against Offer.
1999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by and starring Vince Offer
Vince Offer
Offer "Vince" Shlomi , known as Vince Offer, the ShamWow! Guy, or Headset Vince, is an infomercial pitchman, writer, director, and comedian . Offer's first major work was the 1999 comedy film The Underground Comedy Movie, which was met with negative reception...
. It features music by NOFX
NOFX
NOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...
and Guttermouth
Guttermouth
Guttermouth is an American punk rock band formed in 1988 in Huntington Beach, California and currently recording for Hopeless Records. They have released nine full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour...
, among others.
Although the film was released and screened in 1999, Offer was bankrupt by 2002 and home video distribution plans were shelved. Offer, who had previously been a successful vegetable chopper salesman and businessman, resumed selling vegetable choppers at swap meets to support himself and raise money to complete his film project. Within a few months, he had earned enough to resume production, and the movie was finally completed, released, and marketed entirely on late-night infomercials that Offer paid for with his earnings from the swap meet vegetable chopper sales. The film has sold in excess of 10,000 copies and Offer has used the proceeds from sales to file a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
, himself an ex-Scientologist. The film was set to be re-released with additional scenes in 2011 under the name Underground Comedy 2010.
Synopsis
The film mainly consists of skits featuring celebrities in various roles, such as Gena Lee NolinGena Lee Nolin
Gena Lee Nolin is an American actress and model. She is best known for her television appearances on The Price Is Right and Baywatch in the 1990s.-Career:...
loudly using the restroom and a superhero named "Dickman", dressed in a penis
Penis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
costume who defeats his enemies by squirting them with semen
Semen
Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that may contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova...
, based on sketches Offer originally performed on a Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
show he had hosted. The 2010 remake was to add an additional scene where Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
went on a shooting spree against paparazzi. The film went direct to video and consistently rates in IMDB's
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
bottom 100 movies. Lawrence Van Gelder in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote a scathing review of the film, saying the movie "stands as a monument to ineptitude and self-delusion."
Cast
- Vince OfferVince OfferOffer "Vince" Shlomi , known as Vince Offer, the ShamWow! Guy, or Headset Vince, is an infomercial pitchman, writer, director, and comedian . Offer's first major work was the 1999 comedy film The Underground Comedy Movie, which was met with negative reception...
- SlashSlash (musician)Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
- Gena Lee NolinGena Lee NolinGena Lee Nolin is an American actress and model. She is best known for her television appearances on The Price Is Right and Baywatch in the 1990s.-Career:...
- Karen BlackKaren BlackKaren Black is an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She is noted for appearing in such films as Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, The Great Gatsby, Rhinoceros, The Day of the Locust, Nashville, Airport 1975, and Alfred Hitchcock's final film, Family Plot...
- AngelyneAngelyneAngelyne is an American model and actress who ostensibly became an icon of Hollywood and Los Angeles, best known for purchasing billboards advertising herself.-Biography:...
- Joey ButtafuocoJoey ButtafuocoJoseph A. "Joey" Buttafuoco is an auto body shop owner from the USA, notable for his affair with Amy Fisher , who subsequently shot Joey's wife, Mary Jo Buttafuoco , in the face.-Incident:...
- Mongo Brownlee
- Rebecca Chaney
- Barbara SnellenburgBarbara SnellenburgBarbara Snellenburg is a Dutch model and actress. She has blond hair and blue eyes.Born in Arnhem.Mother agency: Max Models - Rotterdam....
- Lightfield Lewis
- Michael Clarke DuncanMichael Clarke DuncanMichael Clarke Duncan is an American actor, best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in The Green Mile, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.- Early life :...
- Bobby Lee
- Aimee-lyn G
- John/Buddy M
Litigation history
On September 23, 1998, Vince Offer filed a suit against 20th Century Fox20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
and the co-directors of There's Something About Mary
There's Something About Mary
There's Something About Mary is a 1998 American comedy film, directed by the Farrelly brothers, Bobby and Peter. It stars Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon and Ben Stiller, and it is a combination of romantic comedy and gross-out film....
, Bobby
Bobby Farrelly
Robert Leo "Bobby" Farrelly, Jr. is an American film director, screenwriter and producer.-Life and career:Farrelly was born in Cumberland, Rhode Island, the son of Mariann, a nurse practitioner, and Robert Leo Farrelly, a doctor. He is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has been...
and Peter Farrelly
Peter Farrelly
Peter John Farrelly is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and novelist. The Farrelly Brothers are mostly famous for directing and producing gross-out humor romantic comedy films such as, Dumb and Dumber, Me, Myself and Irene, There's Something About Mary and The Heartbreak...
. Offer claimed that 14 scenes in Mary were lifted from his film. The Farrellys released this statement: "We've never heard of him, we've never heard of his movie, and it's all a bunch of baloney." The case was dismissed with prejudice on a motion for summary judgment
Summary judgment
In law, a summary judgment is a determination made by a court without a full trial. Such a judgment may be issued as to the merits of an entire case, or of specific issues in that case....
by order of the court in 2000, and Twentieth Century Fox was awarded $66,336.92 in attorneys' fees.
In 2000, Offer successfully sued Anna Nicole Smith
Anna Nicole Smith
In 1992 Smith was chosen by Hugh Hefner to appear on the cover of the March issue of Playboy, where she was listed as Vickie Smith, wearing a low-cut evening gown. The centerfold was photographed by Stephen Wayda. Smith said she planned to be "the next Marilyn Monroe". Becoming one of Playboys...
for $4 million, claiming that Smith had agreed to be in his movie, but backed out in 1996 over fears that appearing in the movie would be detrimental to her career. Offer won the lawsuit, but the case was settled anyway.
In 2004, Offer sent out a press release through prnews.com announcing his intention to sue the Church of Scientology. In 1997, while production was ongoing, the Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
had allegedly begun a large-scale smear campaign
Smear campaign
A smear campaign, smear tactic or simply smear is a metaphor for activity that can harm an individual or group's reputation by conflation with a stigmatized group...
against Offer and his film (Offer was a Scientologist at the time).
The director claimed the Scientologists' "Celebrity Center" in Hollywood labeled him a "criminal" (based on the rules of Scientology) and threatened his Scientology friends in the movie business with "condemnation" punishment that could be lethal to their careers if they did not write malicious reports against Offer.
External links
- Underground Comedy 2010 - official promotional site