Amy Sedaris, Deborah Rush, Stephen Colbert
COMEDY
Like fellow funnywoman Carol Burnett, Amy Sedaris has a face made of rubber. And like Burnett, she gives it a workout, stretching it mightily, all in pursuit of laughs. She gets 'em, big time, in Strangers with Candy, though she goes to brazen lengths to score comic points.
Strangers is a prequel to Sedaris's cult hit Comedy Central series of the same name (1999-2000). In the movie, Jerri Blank (Sedaris), a 47-year-old ex-hooker and ex-junkie, decides to return to high school after prison. "I'm starting right where I left off," she says. Once there, she gets crushes on boys and girls alike, reenacts the running of the bulls at Pamplona for gym class and clashes with authority figures (including Colbert and A-list guest stars such as Sarah Jessica Parker).
Like Napoleon Dynamite, this off-kilter high school comedy won't strike everyone as being funny, but fans of Sedaris—my hand is raised—are in for a goofball goodie. (R)
[STARS 2.5]
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