R.S.V.P.

Review

This is one of those movies that has been shelved in the wrong genre. Rather than the "college/teen slasher" that so many write it off as it is more of a dark comedy. Combining elements of Scream, Rope, Friday the 13th, and Teen Nympho Slasher with Weed (ok, I made that last one up...I think) with references to movies all over the place (including, amongst others, Army of Darkness and Kevin Smith's "Jersey Trilogy" (though the latter might be incidental due to Jason Mewes)). Speaking of Jason Mewes, he was the only person I knew of with the exception of Glenn Quinn and whoever "that guy" is who plays Uncle Walter. Though I want to watch something else with Marjanda Delfino in it, now.

I wish I could say that it works as a dark comedy, but most of the moments it pulls off are "a-hah" sort of laughs, if not outright groans. About half the jokes are death related, and about half are drug related. Of course, I mentioned it has Jason Mewes in it, right? I half wonder if he didn't just bring his own paraphenalia to the set and they wrote it in. Some other reviews have said it "telegraphs" the ending. I think that is the whole point. Like, it doesn't just foreshadow it. It might as well had Rick Otto start off the movie with a detailed discussion of plot progression to come.

I digress. An entertaining enough movie. The sort of thing that you think you will hate but find yourself watching the whole thing. Which is a bother, because you eventually get to the end and that pretty much spoils it. Remember all those 80s slashers where the surviving female runs through completely unscary tableaus of "dead" people with about a drop a blood on them? They do that. Remember daring roof chases? Well, they have a roof involved. Remember how the Nazi's misquoted Nietzsche and made it out like he promoted mass murder and geno...oh, shit...did I just invoke Godwin's law?

I lose...and well, overall, unless you want a movie to laugh at the death of folk (as opposed to a geniune suspense movie, which I really don't think it is trying to be, I think people assigned this "genre" unto it without paying attention) and unless you can watch it with full knowledge that playing the last ten minutes will make you hate the whole thing and so you just have to turn it off...you might end up losing as well.

My recommendation? Rent Rope. Some have said it is one of Hitchcock's weaker ones, but a weak Hitchcock still is a damn fine movie.