M. Night Shyamalan’s first R-rated movie! M. Night Shyamalan’s first R-rated movie! Those were the words that sent people to theaters in – what’s the opposite of “droves” – to experience some stupid thing about angry plants making people walk backwards before killing themselves. And Marky Mark as a science teacher. We know he’s smart because M. Knight makes him wear an awkward sweater vest.
Finally crossing the line into Ed Wood territory, Shyamalan actually expects the audience to feel fear and tension when he stages his characters running away from light breezes. Oh, and instead of a stupid twist ending, the ending is just stupid. In the end, The Happening has all the terror and gravity of a fabric softener commercial AND a criminally underused Alan Ruck. We love Alan Ruck. (IMDb)
TO SYNC WITH MOVIE: Start this commentary 10 seconds after starting movie.
Actually my sons, The Lady and the Water is the only Shyamalan film to tank.
The Happening made 3 times its budget worldwide making it quite the hit.
Fair enough, but I’ve still never met a real, live person who admits to going to a movie theater and paying for a ticket to see “The Happening”. Personally, I wish Shyamalan would just make the Unbreakable sequel. That’s the only movie of his I actually liked.
For picking this movie you must be punished.
And to think I once thought Lady in the Water was bad. I am rather glad the other guy on The Adam Carolla radio show spoiled it for everyone out of sheer ANGER at how bad it was the following Monday.
This movie made me so angry I want to break things.
ANGRY!
At last! A new commentary… but for The Happening? I *fear* that movie’s suckiness. Just the ten minutes of Lady in the Water I watched made me feel like I’d stuck my head in a trash can and banged it with a hammer a few times. And don’t get me started about Unbreakable. About a third of the way in, I was ready to ride the roller coaster… only that *whole movie* is about just going to *see* a roller coaster. “Look!” Shyamalan says. “A roller coaster! Isn’t it cool? Now let’s go home.”
I haven’t laughed that hard in ages. Thanks, guys. Been having a pretty shitty week and needed a pick-me-up. The taste-testing of the food at the beginning actually had me in tears for awhile.
Times like that make me wish you guys did a snack vlog.
Hey guys, sometime down the road please do a Big Lebowski commentary.
Shomer Shabbas.
@ laxdude:
We had to sit through a complete screening of The Happening. There is no punishment on earth or beyond that can be worse that that. And Todd’s seen it twice!
@ Bill:
I’m not sure a Big Lebowski commentary would be much fun to listen to, unless everybody has a burning desire to hear me say every single line moments before the characters speak. “He fixes the cable?”
Now The Ladykillers on the other hand. That might be a bigger punishment than The Happening…
What the hell was Zooey Deschanel doing with her performance in this movie!?!
She was pretty much the perfect woman in HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE, and she’s been good in other things. But who directed her to that stupid look on her face she had throughout the movie?
Yes, she has beautiful big blue eyes. But did she need to bug them out during the whole movie?
And I take slight exception to Stee saying she’s a bad singer. She has a raw, honest voice very much like Connie Francis; not a decibel-shattering wail like what’s considered good singing these days.
Yes, I’m in love with Zooey Deschanel… What of it!!
Am I the only one that appreciates M. Night’s most hated films? I HATE Unbreakable AND The Sixth Sense. Signs was TERRIBLY boring and no more creative than the last alien movie. I think that Lady In The Water AND The Happening were two AMAZING achievements of his. I also enjoyed The Village.
I just think they’re so abstract and DIFFERENT that I just had FUN with them. And besides, I’m a HUGE fan of Bryce Dallas Howard AND Zooey Deschanel, and I thought they performed beautifully in these films.
People just don’t seem to appreciate his more out-there movies =/
Gosh, I wish I could have warned you in time before you chose this movie and before Skelton chose the Smuckers Uncrustables.
Great commentary once again. I was wondering when you’d make another one. It’s amazing how you can keep your energy up throughout a movie like this. Kudos to the Film Pigs for that.
Other than the Sixth Sense, I don’t like any of M. Night Shyamalan’s movies (considering the only other two I’ve seen are Lady in the Water and Unbreakable).
Again, great commentary. Ghostbusters would be fun for you guys to do next.
Okay, finally caught up with this. I have no words. It was just… just… uncrustable. I love how you just gave up and started loving it. That was just plain crustable.
For some unknown reason I rented this pile of cinematic offal again, and I listened to your commentary while I watched it (which is awkward in PAL).
And I have to say that this is probably the most consistently funny commentary you’ve done since THE GRUDGE. I LOL-ed heartly throughout.