Hi, I’m Matt; he’s Gabe. We’re going to review movies this year. We begin with a silly little romantic comedy, “Serving Sara,” which pits Matthew Perry (TV’s “Friends”) and Elizabeth Hurley (“Bedazzled”) against “Evil Dead” star Bruce Campbell and a host of character actors in an ’80s-style weave of one-liners, over-the-top acting and Cedric the Entertainer.
To simplify the already simple: Perry plays Joe, a New York summons carrier who tries to save his waning career by serving a divorce notice to Sara (Hurley), wife of the wealthy and incredibly Southern Gordon Moore (Campbell). Rather than give her hubby home field advantage (the movie explains-sort of), Sara bribes Joe with a million bucks to one-up the Texan stereotype by serving him first. That’s it.
Matt’s take:
And it’s funny. Perry already showed his punch line and tripping abilities in “The Whole Nine Yards.” Now it seems he’s honed himself into an absolute idiot. Almost everything he did made me laugh, and as he wandered from scene to scene, I found myself wanting him to interact with the furniture, the walls, the floor. He’s refined one-note acting to an art, and I mean that as a compliment.
Hurley, funny as well, stretches her talents as a rich, beautiful model to play a rich, beautiful wife, and with gusto. She’s feisty and likeable and seems to be having a great time throughout the entire ordeal (falling down luggage chutes, flashing desk jockeys, and the like).
The rest of the cast seem to fit their stereotypes well. Campbell, for example, isn’t so hot, but he sucks with panache. He seems to know that even if you’re laughing at him, you’re still laughing.
Finally, let’s not overlook Cedric the Entertainer. Although his clothes were far funnier than his antics, he wrenched his laughs out of most of the audience as well as everyone else-and even if I didn’t care much for him, he got some of the biggest belly shakes around us.
Basically, “Serving Sara” has something for everyone. Whether you’re like me and laugh continually at Perry falling over things, or like the women in front of me who hung on Cedric’s every wildly uncontrolled move, you’ll still find something to keep you and your date chuckling all the way through. How often does that happen?
Gabe’s take:
“Serving Sara” is nothing you haven’t seen countless times before, but that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it. What starts out as a genial mix of sitcom-ready banter and well-executed pratfalls (thanks to Perry’s excellent physical comedy skills) plays out as an affably low-rent road comedy (sort of a “Midnight Run” lite) that seems like it time-warped its way to the present day from somewhere in the nether regions of the mid-80s.
Despite intermittently lazy direction from helmer Reginald Hudlin and a script with the occasional bad habit of completely defying logic (and even physics), the film succeeds because of its talented cast and serviceable premise. And, oh yeah, it’s funny.
Leading the ensemble of class cut-ups are Perry and British siren Hurley. The two have a playful chemistry that makes their onscreen relationship much more palatable than it might have been with different stars.
Hurley seems to relish every moment of the proceedings, whether she’s merrily plotting against her smarmy hubby or unexpectedly taking a perilous trip down an airport baggage chute. The star of the film, however, is Perry, who proves that his success in “The Whole Nine Yards” was no fluke.
Sporting world-weary stubble, the usual acid wit and an honest charm, Perry’s Joe is a hero that you can root for and not feel embarrassed. In Perry’s hands, Joe becomes believably clumsy enough to end up on the business end of an impotent bull yet clever enough to consistently evade and remain one step ahead of the villains out to stop him. Aloof and engaging, Perry makes both a first-class jester and a first-rate leading man.
The supporting players don’t fare quite as well as the leads, but they possess zeal in their clowning that is rather infectious. Campbell gleefully hams his way through the small but integral part of Hurley’s errant husband, and “Sopranos” alum Vincent Pastore provides Perry with a nice foil for much of the film as Joe’s co-worker and nemesis Tony. Less effective is Cedric the Entertainer as Joe’s hapless boss Ray. Trapped in scenes that feel like woefully unsupervised improv sessions gone awry, the usually funny Entertainer is left to wear vaguely pimp-ish costumes and mug his way through some truly awful one-liners.
Despite a few inevitable bumps in the road to comedy heaven, “Serving Sara” remains an enjoyable ride. What this scrappy little laugher lacks in originality it makes up for with a wealth of comedic spirit and good will. If nothing else, Perry’s performance makes this one worth a look. Check it out. There are infinitely worse ways to spend 100 minutes these days.