SAY IT ISN’T SO
Reviewed October 21st, 2001 by David Nusair
It’s gotten to the point now, with more and more gross-out comedies hitting the market, that such movies compete with each other to become more and more disgusting. But the problem is movies like Say It Isn’t So are substituting comedy for vomit-inducing imagery.
The gross-out comedy hadn’t hit rock bottom when Say It Isn’t So hit theaters (that honor went to Tom Green’s Freddy Got Fingered, which featured, among other things, Green stroking an erect horse penis), but it comes awfully close. Chris Klein stars as Gilly, a clueless animal catcher that lives a dull existence. That all changes, though, when he spots a beautiful new hairdresser (played by Heather Graham). After she slices off his ear (which we get to see), the two begin dating and proceed to fall in love. Their relationship is thrown for a loop, however, when it’s revealed that they’re actually brother and sister. The two go their separate ways, until Gilly discovers that they’re not actually related. Now Gilly has to stop her before she marries a duplicitous jerk.
There are few laughs to be had during the running time of Say It Isn’t So (most of which are courtesy of Richard Jenkins, who’s playing Graham’s stroke-victim impaired father), but mostly, this is just filler. And by the end, the movie turns into a sappy romance. The movie was produced by the Farrelly brothers, who are obviously attempting to ape the success of There’s Something About Mary (which also sucked, but that’s for another review). There’s very little to find funny here – even the usually hilarious Orlando Jones flounders in a bit part as a legless crazy guy – which is especially jarring since that’s seemingly all the movie as going for it. Say It Isn’t So has eschewed realistic characters for supposedly hilarious set pieces, but since most of them fall flat on their respective asses, there’s not much left.
Still, the performers are affable (even the usually detestable Chris Klein is fairly charming) and the pace is quick, but really, there’s just got to be a more productive way to spend 90 minutes.
Audio: Say It Isn’t So is accompanied by a 5.1 DD soundtrack, and it never quite lives up to it. There are a few scenes that start to take advantage of the track (such as the car wreck that comes late in the film), but mostly, this is an unimpressive effort. But to be fair, dialogue is always crisp and clear. To expect a movie like this to have an aggressive soundtrack is perhaps unrealistic, but Say It Isn’t So’s track is just so... underwhelming.
Video: But on the other hand, there’s the transfer. Presented in a ratio of 1.85:1 and anamorphically enhanced, this Fox transfer is quite impressive. Outdoor shots are lush and deep, while darker scenes (such as the confrontation inside a bar between Klein and Jones) are remarkably clear and free of artifacts.
Extras: First up is a commentary track with director James B. Rogers and star Chris Klein. These guys are obviously friends and it shows. While not the most informative track around, this is pretty entertaining – though the quiet spots do increase as the movie progresses. Up next is one of those useless 4-minute making of featurettes that essentially consists of everyone in the cast complimenting each other and the director. This is a complete waste of time. Next are six deleted scenes. These are mostly extensions of existing scenes, and are generally just as lame as the stuff they left in the movie. Lastly, there are five TV commercials and a full-screen trailer.
Conclusion: Say It Isn’t So might appeal to less-discriminating 9-year-olds and mentally handicapped seniors, but that’s about it.
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