User reviews

I thought this movie was going to suck. But I was wrong. This film ranks among the great dramedies (Dr. Strangelove, Little Shop of Horrors, American Beauty, The Cable Guy) by adding sharp comedy with horrific themes that in the wrong circumstances would make this a hard core porno/horror film. Plot involves a couple (Jon Favreu and Cameron Diaz) who are about to get married, but not before the bachelor party with friends Christian Slater, Daniel Slater and others with stripper (and actual porn star) Kobe Tai. It gets juicy after the party when the stripper gets killed, and body count (and laughter) come up in high dosage. Peter Berg makes a great debut as writer/director by making the characters all bad in equal ways, but also throughout the film trying to redeem they're problems (except for Slater who gives his best performance in a while). Fun all around, even if it's Charles Manson fun. One of the better films of the decade. A+

If you're expecting a pleasant Howard Hawks-ian comedy, you rented the wrong damn movie! So don't say I didn't warn you. Besides, the video/DVD cover shows Christian Slater holding a chainsaw. How much warning do you need? First of all, "Very Bad Things" works out better if you don't treat it as a straightforward comedy. It's basically a mix of suspense and comedy. Almost like "Fargo." Now before you jump on me, "VBT" is nowhere near as great as "Fargo," but the two films are practically equal in tone.

At least the film contains one element that some comedies lack: the characters AREN'T acting as if they're in a comedy! When the characters panic and do foolish things, they're not contrived comic moments. People do the most absurd things when they panic.

It's hard to explain what exactly it is that makes the film funny. You just have to watch the film. But people really, really mean it when they label this as a dark comedy. Writer/director Peter Berg tries to keep a somewhat quirky tone, though. There are some slanty camera angles and the soundtrack conflicts with the tone of each scene. Don't worry, it's done intentionally. Berg, who's known mostly as an actor in films like "Cop Land" and "The Great White Hype," makes a fine directorial debut, though there is some improper pacing.

Finally, the actors are what make this film most worth seeing. I've always been a fan of Christian Slater, and believe him to be an underrated talent. He seems passionate about every character he plays, and spouts out every line of dialogue like it's poetry. His character is very interesting, as he seems to keep his cool in every situation, no matter how tragic or violent. Daniel Stern's another underrated talent, since he mostly does lightweight family comedies like the "Home Alone" flicks, and does a great job at playing his constantly paranoid character, who's the complete opposite of Slater's. Cameron Diaz gives a fine comic performance as the tightly-wound, hot-tempered wife of Jon Favreau. I think this is one of her most unique performances up-to-date. I think this was before she became such a sex symbol. Now fame has gone a little bit more to her head, starring in such throwaway flicks as the "Charlie's Angels" films and "The Sweetest Thing." She is in fact a very talented actress, but this movie most proves that she's more than just a pretty face. Speaking of pretty faces, Jeanne Tripplehorn also gives a fine comic performance as Stern's tightly-wound wife.

I consider myself an admirer of dark comedies, but any type of film can fail. This one doesn't. It made me laugh and kept me in suspense. And it has a great share of profanity, violence and nudity (that Asian stripper was deliciously hot!!!). "Very Bad Things" is not for the straitlaced, or faint of heart, but for the rest of us--have fun!!!

My score: 7 (out of 10)

I have seen this movie three times and each time I am amazed, humored, frightened and relieved with the poetic justice at the end. And it's about time that I watch it again. The only problem I have with this movie is the title. Every time I try and remember the name I can't think of it. Maybe it should have been called Bachelor Party or Stag Party. I guarantee once you've seen it, you'll never forget it. Especially when your sons are planning marriage. The plot is great...fun time in Vegas. Girls, gambling, maybe sex. Then the plot thickens and from the bathroom scene on, you will not be able to leave the movie. Have your pacemaker checked, your box of tissue nearby, to wipe away tears of laughter, and enjoy. If there were higher than a "10" rating for a movie, Very Bad Things would achieve it hands down. It's not for children though, so view it after the little ones are in bed. Teenagers are fine, they know more about life then we want to believe. This movie has the comedy, the macabre and a justified ending. Rent it, buy it, watch it!

This movie had a slow beginning. Then, it started to get better. Towards the middle of the movie, i was laughing and smiling. But, just as things couldn't possibly have gotten any worse, they did. Some of the characters that died had no need to be killed. And the end scene after the car crash was pretty trashy too. The very last scene is Cameron Diaz falling over in the road screaming like a mental person. This to me, made me want to throw up. If it wasn't for the okay middle part of the movie, i would never have continued watching it. If you want to watch this movie, just watch it to say you have seen it. I has almost no value and is plain sickening. Plus, why on earth would the guy, before the car crash be thinking about that stupid 'little tree' metaphor? It made no sense to me. In summary, 2 out of 5 stars. **.

Some of the acting is not horrible -- although Cameron Diaz delivers her predictable, shallow lines with her usual wooden and unidimensional style.

Unfortunately, that is the best thing I can say about this terrible, terrible waste of time. First of all, it's tasteless -- but we all knew that, because it was marketed as a tasteless movie. Usually I like a good bit of violence, sex, and dark humour. But this film just says "Oooh, look at me, look at how risque and dark I am!" with no wit or talent to back it up. The jokes are trite and boring, while insulting the intelligence of the audience with pretensions of sophistication. The cast and crew has polished a dog turd and attempted to sell it to moviegoers as a gemstone.

My main complaint here is that this film is not honest: it tries to be something it's not. If you want to see some highly amusing tasteless humour, your time is better spent on Troma films than on this disgustingly pretentious train wreck of a movie.

Simply diabolically wonderful! Loved since day one & 23 years later, still great!

Though it bills itself as a comedy/thriller, my viewing group failed to find any humor in the film. A chronicle of friends with no stress management skills, this attempt at dark comedy comes across as a string of appalling atrocities with no redeeming value. There is nothing truly comedic or thrilling about this film; the only time I laughed at the film was prior to the first murder, and the "thrills" are obvious, tedious, grim, plodding, inhuman acts. Grim and thrilling are not synonymous. Five of us attended the movie and all of us encouraged friends to avoid it.

Save your ticket money and rent Heathers; you get to see Christian Slater in a movie that does much better black comedy.

I know why people hate this film. They are wrong, but I know why they hate it. They take it too seriously. They are too easily offended. They fail to pick up on the subtle little reminders that Peter Berg includes every once in awhile to let you know, "hey, this is a comedy." The story revolves around a main character, who is soon to be wed to a dominating fiancé, who seems to love the idea of having a big wedding more than she loves her her future husband. Well, our main character and his four closest buddies are off to Vegas for one last night of freedom and fun. In the group you have a pair of Jewish brothers that hate each other, a confused mechanic, and a real estate agent that is a cross between Anthony Robbins and Charles Manson. Well, not to give anything away, but let's just say that some very bad things happen in Vegas, very bad things, and how it will play out after that, well, it is just too entertaining to watch. The acting in this movie is superb, I mean great. The story is fantastic, with tons of hooks and switches. Yes, there is violence and somethings happen, that if they occurred in real life, well, you might be disturbed. HOWEVER, this is a movie! And it is one of my favorite films of all-time. I give it a 10, without hesitation.

it's kinda sad. everyone's saying this movie is awful. it's deplorable. it's disgusting. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE YOU MORONS!!! it's a dark comedy. it's supposed to be absolutely wretched. that's the point! it's supposed to make you cringe. for all those of you who hated this movie or found it reprehensible, peter berg has taken you all on a ride! for those of us who actually understand and love dark comedy, this movie is brilliant. you're supposed to see these awful scenes and laugh because of their absurdity. this movie is hilarious and intelligent. look at the title for crying out loud. very bad things. did you expect it to just be a clever name?

Shock-comedy from writer-director Peter Berg goes full-throttle in its madness, and for that alone it is admirable. Bachelor party goes awry when the stripper ends up dead. This being a 'funny' movie, nobody goes to jail, but the protagonists do eventually turn on each other in amusing ways. Bleak black-comedy of ills, grotesque and mean, presents a sick sense of humor (and an indifference towards human life) that probably shouldn't be duplicated--and yet you have to give the picture points for chutzpah and originality. Kudos also to Cameron Diaz for her wacky performance as a prospective bride who won't let tragedy stop her from walking down the aisle (and the last shot of her is a classic). ** from ****

Veteran actor Peter Berg made his writing & directing debut here with this jet-black comedy (yes, folks, it IS a comedy) about the disastrous results of a bachelor party in Vegas. The groom to be is Kyle Fisher (Jon Favreau), and the buddy responsible for all the mayhem to follow is Michael (Jeremy Piven), who accidentally kills a prostitute (the sexy Kobe Tai, in a cameo) during a bout of rough sex. One thing leads to another, and soon all the idiots present have another dead body on their hands. They bury the bodies in the desert, hoping that they can put this ugly mess behind them, but guilt starts to weigh too heavily on some of them (in particular, the weakest link, family man Adam (Daniel Stern)).

"Very Bad Things" is the kind of comedy that is likely to engender personal reactions. If you love this sort of dark comedy, and don't mind spending time with some pretty despicable characters, you'll be in Heaven. If this sort of thing doesn't sound appealing to you, you'll loathe it. Ultimately, Berg *does* keep the film very true to his bleak vision, complete with lots of gore (courtesy of the boys at KNB) and some intense stunts. And Berg does not let supposedly "safe" characters, like children and dogs, off the hook. A great many individuals come in to take their lumps.

As unappealing as most of the main characters can be at times, they don't hold a candle to the quick-thinking, pragmatic (at least, he *thinks* he's being pragmatic), and utterly sociopathic Robert (a highly amusing Christian Slater, who is also one of the executive producers).

Solid ensemble acting (the cast also includes Jeanne Tripplehorn, Leland Orser (these two became a real-life couple after meeting here), Cameron Diaz as an extremely controlling, demented bride to be, Joey Zimmerman, Tyler Cole Malinger, and Lawrence Pressman) helps a lot. One cannot say these actors don't thoroughly commit to these characters that they're playing.

Overall, a very lively experience, guaranteed to leave smiles on some viewers' faces.

Seven out of 10.

Watching this movie caused physical pain. It is so bad, so worthless, so pointless that after viewing it I felt like someone had been hitting me over the head with something heavy. It wasn't funny. Watching people sob and agonize over violent death and scream at each other is not funny. Adding grisly scenes with body parts doesn't make it funny. Without comedy the whole thing is worthless because it doesn't do or say anything. Obviously they realized that when they titled the movie. It's just a bunch of bad stuff that happens. Weee.

One thing that's great about actors turned directors, like Peter Berg, is that they can be great at eliciting performances from the cast.

Acting is everything in this movie - as the plot spirals out of control, the acting has to maintain the necessary suspension of disbelief. Here it does.

Daniel Stern gives an eyeball-popping tour de force among a cast with some excellent character actors.

A gory and grotesque comedy nightmare masterpiece!

I remember when I watched this movie as a young teenager when it just came out in 1999, I loved it. Now, watching it again I have trouble to understand what made me love that movie. It just seems "meh", now. Looking at the positive reviews to find the answer I just see a bunch of people gloating over having a sense of humor and not being "easily offended". So well, that must be it. When I was young this movie just seemed outrageous and I loved it because I thought it was daring. Now, I am just too used to dark movies and this one doesn't seem to be too outstanding so the weak parts of the movie are not as easy to overlook.

My main issue is that, it just isn't funny. At the same time it is not a marketing mistake that I often see when a movie is presented as comedy while it is a 100% drama. I can see that they were really going for a dark comedy, but the comedy part is pretty much non-existent. There are a few moments that make one smirk, but other than that I am not sure where is comedy.

The movie is still above the average. Mainly thanks to the great cast with brilliant acting skills. Christian Slater should have gotten an Oscar for this. Was surprised to find out that John Favreau was in it. The guy has changed so much, it is only his voice and way of talking that made me recognize him. Watching them all acting it out was a pleasure. Also, it had many pretty original moments. Too bad it didn't end up being what it could have been.

I'm perfectly capable of enjoying black comedies and gallows humor, and I don't require that the characters in movies be saints. However, I don't remember laughing at this movie even once. I'd even considered leaving the theater when I saw it.

Unfortunately, I'm at a loss to explain why it misfired for me. I like many of the actors; some of them are very good actors, in fact, just not here. The cinematography was good. Kobe Tai, who I'd never seen before, brought a lot of energy to her scene and I wish they'd had more of her.

I guess for me the flaw was in the writing, or that this movie simply wasn't for me. I confess I'm puzzled as to what people found humorous in this movie.

Christian Slater is excellent in this great moral tale and dark comedy. I remember seeing this a while back and loved how everything stamrolled once they were on a bad path. Jon Favareau was great as well and he's always a great comedic touch.