Dirty Deeds: Newest Gross-Out Comedy

Dirty Deeds is a the newest addition to the high school, gross out comedy genre. Well, it’s not exactly that type of flick, except for some scenes involving a loaf of bread, but it seems to be the genre it was trying to copy(though from what I recall there was very little foul language or gross out gags). The film has its share of laughs, but mostly recycles stuff from better films.

At West Valley High School during Homecoming week every year, one student agrees to try to do the 10 “Dirty Deeds”. Basically these deeds are a list of pranks and/or illegal acts that escalate in difficulty. The point being, to complete them all in the course of one night, or twelve hours. In the history of the “Deeds” only one student has managed to finish them all. Is there any question the hero of this piece will be the second?

The protaganist is Zack (Milo Ventimiglia) a bit of a trouble maker who we nonethless know is destined to make something out of himself after highschool. While attempting to save freshman Kyle (Wes Robinson), Zack agrees to take on the deeds challenge.

Kyle, a bit of an outcast, had asked to be that year’s sacrificial lamb to shut up the football team who enjoys picking n him. When his older sister Meg(Lacey Chabert) who Zack has a thing for, asks for help – Zack steps up to the plate. And so begins the challenge.

I don’t seek to give away any of the deeds, though some are quite funny. As Zack completes more and more the football captain(obligatory villain- and why are they always blonde headed jerks anyways?) tries to sabotage him.

As if the tasks weren’t hard enough, the delays from these unsportsmanlike shenangins only make things tougher on our hero. Of course, no one in the audience can really doubt he’ll get them all done.

Unfortunately, despite scenes and sequences being totally familiar to anyone that’s seen a handful of these kinds of movies, the film has a bit of a novice feel.

I counted several Major League and and former Major League baseball players among the producers. Maybe they wanted a tax write off. It’s not a bad picture, but it isn’t a very good one. Well, if you’r e about 12-16 you might think it is.

1.5 out of 4 stars