Scary Movie 3

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Like its two predecessors, Scary Movie 3 is a hit-or-miss affair, but the gags that connect really connect.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

It is consistently entertaining and frequently hilarious, the violence of the slapstick so cartoonish that it does not spoil the fun.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

Where the Wayanses flogged every last chuckle from their belabored ideas, Zucker spring-loads his gags and lets them fly in rapid-fire succession. Not everything hits the target, but he tosses so many of them off with a wink and a grin that they catch you by surprise.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Scary Movie 3 is a veritable time capsule of of-this-moment kitsch, schlock and bad taste. And it's funny, too.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

The jokes come in endless flurries, and if they're working - even at a ratio of 1 in 4 - you're laughing more than you're not. The Zucker-Proft team simply has a higher batting average than the Wayans.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Thanks to director Zucker, this is by far the best installment yet -- there's less bathroom humor and more "Airplane!"-type lunacy.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

The franchise, which had begun to run out of steam in Part 2, has been given a shot of adrenaline with the replacement of the Wayans Brothers as the prime creative forces by Hollywood's original spoof-meister, David Zucker.

Village Voice David Ng

Vigorously date- and time-stamped, Scary Movie 3 boasts a cultural half-life of about five seconds, but for those seeking a return on their weekly multiplex pilgrimages, this movie is The One.

Washington Post Teresa Wiltz

It's outrageous. It's obnoxious. It's offensive. And yes, it's also really, really, really funny. Or, at least, it is for the first 40 minutes or so.

Film Threat Kevin Carr

Overall, the whole isn’t as funny as some of the parts. While some scenes had me laughing hysterically, others had me looking at my watch and feeling like I was in the middle of a “Saturday Night Live” sketch that was just going on waaaaaay too long.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

Sneaks in the occasional child-molestation or bestiality joke, but otherwise seems content to cannibalize the broad slapstick of Zucker's halcyon days with Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams.

Dallas Observer Gregory Weinkauf

A bucket of crap, but at well under 90 minutes it's a small bucket, and half the crap is amusing.

Chicago Tribune Robert K. Elder

Plot doesn't matter much here, as Scary Movie 3 exists solely to reference and lampoon other movies, in this case "The Ring," "Signs " and "8 Mile."

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jason Anderson

The decision to overhaul the Scary Movie franchise by sending up such non-horror titles as "8 Mile" and "The Matrix Reloaded" also pays dividends.

USA Today Mike Clark

The time might be right for the Scary movies to quit on top, even though, alas, there are no term limits for sequels.

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

Although Scary Movie 3 boasts the same relaxed attitude to racial and sexual humor, some of the same eye for movieland ridiculousness, along with the usual cameos (Pamela Anderson and Simon Cowell), it lacks a single explosive, roll-on-the-floor gag, and too often repeats and belabors jokes that are merely OK.

Variety Dennis Harvey

Results here are just middling funny, with no truly memorable high points and a sum impact that goes poof!

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

Notably Wayansless. It's also notably devoid of a point of view.

Portland Oregonian Kim Morgan

One of the funniest things in Scary Movie 3 is Pamela Anderson. She makes us laugh. And not just at her (though she's game to poke fun at her image) but with her.

The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

Ends up committing the spoof genre's worst crime: becoming a tired parody of itself.

Washington Post Matt Bonesteel

The gags come with such unrelenting speed, it's like trying to read the CNN scroll at the bottom of the television screen while fast-forwarding: You may catch a few of the words, but most of it is lost on the viewer.

LA Weekly Scott Foundas

As in the late-period works of Mel Brooks, the very structure of the film feels irreparably fatigued.

Empire Chris Hewitt

it is intermittently very funny.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

The average issue of Mad magazine contains significantly smarter movie satire, because Mad goes for the vulnerable elements and Scary Movie 3 just wants to quote and kid.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Films like this are the definition of "critic proof"; if the casting, synopsis and very concept don't deter you, you'll probably find it very funny.

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub

After the first few minutes, viewers will get the feeling they just emerged from a 14-month coma. Even the non-movie jokes focus on last year's news.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

If there's one thing this motion picture proves, it's that "The Naked Gun 33 1/3" wasn't the final insult from a founding ZAZ (Zucker/Abrams/Zucker) member; this is.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Enough already.