January 28th, 2012 
James Shotwell 
Film: Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie
Starring: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim
Directed by: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim
It may only be January, but the bar absurdity on the big screen has already been set insanely high.
Premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and becoming available via Video On Demand shortly thereafter, Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie takes small screen sketch comedy and molds it into a 90-minute, profane-as-can-be romp. The stars, Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, find themselves indebted to evil movie producers after spending a billion dollars on a three-minute (hysterically awful) film. They discover a late night ad promising a billion dollars to anyone willing to run the Swallow Valley Mall and find the offer strangely coincidental, but realize they have no other options, and set off on a journey unlike anything you have probably ever seen.
Anyone unfamiliar with Adult Swim’s Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! will be challenged from the very beginning of the film. Heidecker and Wareheim have openly admitted to making the film for fans of their humor and when you’re as surrealist as them, that is a pretty niche market. From drug use, to genitalia mutilation, to perhaps the most outrageous sex scene ever accepted by the MPAA, they go all out and waste very little time making that known. The film does follow a single storyline, but the duo manage to insert the unique elements of their sketch comedy into the film through a wide array of side characters (including John C. Reilly as “sick boy” and Will Forte as an overly-aggressive sword shop owner) and adventures through various shops/locales.
In the end, one’s opinion of Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie will almost entirely be directly related to how much that viewer “gets” the humor of the leads. As with any skit-based film, some bits work better than others, but Heidecker and Wareheim have gone to great lengths to keep the flow of funny consistant and that makes all the difference in the end.
If you “get it,” you will love it. If you do not, you will hate it. Personally, I have not laughed this hard all year. In fact, at some points I questioned if I had seen or heard anything nearly as funny in months.
Review written by: James Shotwell (Follow him on Twitter).
Here’s a taste of Tim and Eric:
- 2015’s Most Underrated Films - December 29, 2015
- Passing The Torch: The End Of An Era For UTG - December 1, 2015
- UTG PREMIERE: Before The Streetlights – “Private Browser” - November 26, 2015
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Tim Erickson is my new favourite Comediennes, I pledge my allegiance to they’re movie and I honor their friendship and I honor their love.
I have enjoyed watching this wonderful movie in my Schlaaang Super Seat!
I actually really like “Awesome Show” and “get the humor” of Time and Eric. I.. uhm. I found the movie to be just.. kind of boring. *Shrug*
No, you’re right. It was just “feh.” Even the ‘Rango’ed’ silliness that hyped the release was weak. I’m not sure what happened here, but this movie just didn’t work. Fans of T & E will all see it, but not all will be pleased. )-:
Erm… Seriously? “If you “get it,” you will love it. If you do not, you
will hate it.” That’s like trying to insinuate that those who don’t
enjoy it are too dumb to get it. I get it, I really do get it but damn
this movie is shrim! If I broke a smile once it was once too many.
Don’t
get me wrong here I enjoy outrageous humour, think of the anal scene in
Zack and Miri make a porno, that was funny. I enjoy people pushing
boundaries but in my opinion this is a comedy aimed at pubescent
teenagers who cannot grasp what is funny so pushing the boundaries makes
them feel like they have grown up and can be a part of the adult world.
The boundaries are pushed just purely because there are boundaries but
for no other reason than that, its not funny just dull.
Why are
we supporting what shouldn’t even be considered B movies with our money. If
you need to delve into the idea that someone lying in a bath whilst a
bunch of boys shit all over you is funny then seriously I really need to
question your own sanity.
As far as I’m concerned this movie
has just invented a new category of a movie genre “Utter Rubbish”. I’m
extremely disappointed in the likes of Will Ferrell producing this, has
he done one too many lines of cocaine? How many people blowing smoke up
your ass does it take for someone to throw something together that is as diabolical as
this film?
Thanks for the comment. I appreciate your point of view, you seem focused on one particular scene. I agree, shrim, was not the best gag, but much of the is truly original and in my opinion, funny.
It’s funny you say you’re surprised by the efforts of people like Will Ferrel but I think you underestimate how much Will himself plays to a niche crowd.
I was in no way saying people were dumb if they did not enjoy the film, I’m simply stating film was made with a certain audience in mind. Some people are not going to be the type to enjoy this film, which is fine, but there will be many who embrace it. That’s how are works, it’s subjective. Lana Del Rey is not for me, but because others like her and I don’t in no way means one group is smarter than the other, it simply means our taste for art is different.
Sent from my personal Skynet.