Cook Off!

I'm giving Cook Off! an 8.2/10, which seems to be a lot higher than most people would rate it. I don't know, I thought it was pretty funny. I've always liked mockumentaries, and this one reminded me quite a bit of Best in Show. You've got these amateur cooks competing for a ridiculous amount of money, and every one of them seems convinced their particular recipe is something the world has been waiting for. I love watching people who take themselves that seriously. The interviews were my favorite part. Some of the things these contestants say are so stupid, and they deliver them with complete confidence. Wendi McLendon-Covey was great. She's good at playing someone who thinks everyone else is the problem, which is exactly the kind of character I find funny. I enjoyed Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone, although McCarthy could've used more screen time. There were some jokes that didn't work for me. A few of the characters get too cartoonish, and I lose interest when the actors start pushing for laughs. I would've preferred more of the awkward conversations and less of that stuff. I was surprised when I looked up the reviews afterward. I expected people to have enjoyed it more than they did.

I kept up with everything with everything that was happening onscreen while simultaneously playing on my laptop throughout the entire thing. It's a background noise movie if there ever was one. There are some funny jokes, but it's plagued by amateurish production and some painfully unfunny gags that drag on for way too long. It's kind of admirable to see such an oddball film these days. The characters are ridiculous and their actions are absurd. It hasn't quite benefitted from sitting on a shelf for so long (the movie was completed in 2007). I can't say I'm a fan, but I certainly didn't hate it. In a way it's a lot like Brendon Urie; too weird to live, too strange to die. Only it doesn't have the same level of quality at what it does. There are really aren't words to describe all of the weirdness going on in this movie. So all I can say in closing is that it's a quirky mockumentary meant for a very small audience. The trailer alone will be enough for you to know if you are part of it or not. So don't be like me and go in blind. P.S. If you're here for Melissa McCarthy, she's only in the thing for like five minutes.