User reviews

This most be the best direct to video movie in a long time. I bought this movie in May when it was released on dvd in Norway. I just watched it again a couple days ago, and I will say that Star Raving Mad is good. Is not great, but it's better than most of crap the you see in your local theater. This is the best Seann W. Scott film since Road Trip and the first American Pie. All his other movies he just played a different version of Stifler. Mostly a more stupid one. But this he have finally shaked of Stifler. Scott was Ben McGewen in this movie. He was cool and smart and very good written. Didn't resemblance Stifler at all. In all his other movie, you are thinking about Stifler when you see Scott. But not this time. He finally did it. If you want to see Scott grow as an actor, don't rent American Wedding or Bulletproof Monk. Rent this. Or do like me and buy it.

For the rest of the movie, you got a good plot. You have seen it before, but not in this way. Scott is joined by a great cast of characters. His side-kick, the uncool Rikki (played by the funny Timm Sharp from Undeclared), a superstitious safe cracker, Jeffrey (Patrick Breen), a demolition expert (John B. Crye), that work best high, and the only person the really know what she doing, and keeps the group together, the computer expert, Betty (Suzy Nakamura). You also got to FBI agents played by Dave Foley and Kavana Smith, a ex-girlfriend (Monet Mazur), Adam Arkin as a night club owner, and Lou Diamond Phillips as the bad guy Gregory. In a pretty stereo-typical role. But with a cool hair cut.

SRM is funny and is really good written, but the end feel a little flat. You got a stand off with two FBI agents and bunch of bad guys, and you don't get a shoot out. That's disappointing. But over all a good movie.

I gave it 7 because I think it could be a lot better, and it could have a cool stand off in the end. But still very good and funny.

Stark Raving Mad is exactly that! One of those movies where you check your brains at the door and just go along for the ride - and what a fun, breakneck ride it is. Seann William Scott has made a reputation for goofy performances - but this isn't one of them. And much to the better. What happened to the distribution of this movie is anyone's guess, although it sounds like some dumb studio exec simply didn't see it. A convoluted story about a break-in into a bank vault that is masked by the deafening music of an ongoing disco rave. Diverse characters with multiple story lines constantly threaten to derail the progress of the break-in, much to the viewer's delight. Funny, funny, funny. This has got to be the best performance from Seann William Scott, with his occasional asides to the audience regarding his personal philosophy on life. The story is constantly on the move, with a great, pounding soundtrack, unpredictable laugh-out-loud twists and an edgy cutting style that pitches you forward all the time. Kudos to everyone involved in the making of this movie! Sit back and enjoy!

STARK RAVING MAD deserves better than to be dump onto video by its distributor. It's a much better caper film than a lot of caper films out there, including the rather uninvolving OCEAN'S 11 with its all-star cast.

Leading man Scott gives a terrific performance, and the facial hair works. It's hard to imagine this is the same young man in all those foolish High School comedies like AMERICAN PIE and OLD SCHOOL. Scott shows the same charm and likeability he did in BULLETPROOF MONK, only he is working with better directors here.

This is by no means the best film ever made, of course, but it's a definitely good way to past the time. The supporting turn by Lou Diamond Phillips, who is quickly becoming an actor who plays only cheesy villain roles, is better left unmentioned. The man is simply awful here. The role is so cliche that it hurts me just to remember it.

6 out of 10.

Congratulations to all those involved in STARK RAVING MAD on a job well done! I was lucky enough to be present at one of the recent screenings and I enjoyed myself thoroughly!

Before I get into specific comments, let me me tell you a little bit about my personal likes and dislikes so you have some sort of frame of reference.

Some of my favorite films of late have been ELECTION, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME and RUSHMORE. I'm a huge fan of Woody Allen (The current frontrunner is CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS) and the Coen Brothers. I also love the KIDS IN THE HALL, A FISH CALLED WANDA and GROUNDHOG DAY, which, to me, is the perfect comedy.

That being said...

STARK RAVING MAD isn't perfect but God bless the filmmakers for trying and, on many more occasions than not, succeeding! This is a smart comedy that looks great, has a kick ass soundtrack, well-rounded characters, a plot that keeps us on our toes without being confusing or illogical and a heart that hits some pretty serious emotional moments without ever being trite and saccharine.

Here's how I'd sum up this film:

FAWLTY TOWERS in a rave!

Applause for Scott (Who really impressed me! He pulls off a tough role and debunks whatever theories his agents are probably telling him - Enough with the AMERICAN PIE movies already!) and Tim Sharp, who carries the emotional core of the film squarely on his shoulders. Both actors work well together and have a nice chemistry. In addition, the pizza delivery guy is HILARIOUS. I loved the pizza delivery guy! I also loved the guy on Scott's team who inadvertently takes ecstasy in the middle of the job! Very, very funny! And Dave Foley is great as the slimiest but funniest FBI agent I've ever seen!

Go see this film! It's a fun ride!

Hooray for the people in Hollywood who still take chances!

So I was flicking through the channels late at night and was surprise to see Sean William Scott on screen in a film I didn't recognise (always the best way to watch a film I find - no preconceptions). Anyway, I was intrigued enough to keep watching all the way through to the finish.

Scott is Ben McGewen, a small-time who's having to pay off his murdered brother's debt to gang boss Gregory (Lou Diamond Philips wearing a shockingly white wig and who I only actually recognised just before the end). All he has to do is steal a rare Chinese sculpture for him. Unfortunately the sculpture is locked away in a high-security bank vault. Good thing that Ben has an elaborate plan which involves the putting on a club night in the warehouse next door and a crew of accomplices capable of pulling it off. So long as everything goes to plan of course.

Inevitably, everything that can go wrong, does go wrong, but then if it didn't, there wouldn't be much of a film. Their original choice of DJ doesn't show and his replacement isn't too keen on their choice of music, Ben's ex-girlfriend is hanging around and distracting him, there's undercover FBI agents hanging around the club and Gregory is an impatient man.

I'm sure that if I thought about it, I could poke all kinds of holes in the plot and there were a few scene's that fell flat or just seemed to be filling time but I can say I warmed to the film. The main reason would be Scott, who carried the film and for once, wasn't playing a variation on Stifler. The rest of the cast were all unknown to me apart from Diamond-Philips and Dave Folley, who has little more than a cameo as one of the FBI agents though they all played their roles fine. It also made me laugh (especially a line that I will not repeat here as I don't want to upset more sensitive ears). So overall, it was a fun but nothing special.

It's to bad. I think the plot about a heist during a rave was a good idea that I don't think I've seen before.

Some scenes I was laughing out loud and then the next scenes were dead weight. This happened to many times for me to ignore. To much macho posing especially near the beginning. Some of the plot strands weren't explored enough and almost seemed as an after thought.

The acting was on par and each main character had some good moments. The music droned on but maybe people that go to raves or know the lifestyle would like that part more.

The thing I liked was it was fast paced frenetic entertainment that goes on my "guilty pleasure" list. With better defined characters and more consistency with the laughs I would have loved this film. Good enough.

... Probably that guy from MEMENTO who had an attention span of sixty seconds or someone who thinks MTV is one of the movie channels !

STARK RAVING MAD starts with a sequence of a guy in the African veldt who gives the middle finger to a lion . No doubt this film takes its title from this scene because it has absolutely nothing to do with the movie which feels like it was directed by a cocaine cartel . After a bizarre title sequence featuring wild animals the film turns into a heist thriller that blatantly rips off the style of Guy Ritchie

I've no idea how STARK RAVING MAD got such a high average rating because I found it entirely irritating with its jarring jump cuts and its totally unconvincing characters who try to come across as cool but end up being totally unrealistic . A lot of people on this page have mentioned that Seann William Scott is their favourite actor which makes me wonder if the only films they have seen are Scott's home movie collection but seeing as Lou Diamond Phillips is in it then Scott is assured of only giving the second worst performance

Before everyone hits the no button on the " was this review helpful to you ? " let me add that if you're a mainstream audience film fan then it won't appeal to you . Likewise if you like movies where the cast can go five seconds without using the F word then you probably won't want to watch this either . The fact that two people are credited with both writing and directing STARK RAVING MAD should tell you a lot about it

Direct to video it seems in North America, while it hit theatres in Europe.

I saw this in a convenience store rental area - DVD for $1.99. The name of the movie's star was written larger than the title of the movie. It reaked of B-movie caliber. The name? Sean William Scott! I liked Sean in Road Trip, Final Destination, Dude Where's My Car and Evolution. His fame though comes from the American Pie movies. You'll also see him in Bulletproof Monk and The Rundown. He hasn't shown a ton of range in his acting ability and the closest he came to carrying a movie was in Dude where he co-starred. He has always done his role effectively though so after a few visits to the convenience store we decided to give him a try.

I didn't expect much, and was shocked by what I viewed. Not only is Sean the star of this movie but he carries this movie with a superb cast, script, and direction. From the beginning to the end this was a classic in the making. From the stop scenes where characters talk to the camera, to the white haired Lou Diamond Phillips, to the Chinese Food delivery guy and further. I laughed and laughed and kept feeling "What a great movie!" Here's the gist you could easily get from the back of the box. They're going to pull a robbery using a Rave as a cover. In the course of the movie, they have many hurdles to overcome. During this, funny stuff happens.

Sean plays the straight guy and a relatively serious role - very different from his other roles. He pulls it off without a hitch. Lou Diamond Phillips (Young Guns fame) is another surprise. You won't believe how good he is until you see him in this role. Easily the best of Lou I've ever seen. The whole cast was fantastic but I do have to mention Timm Sharp who's character was hard to like, but well developed and acted with precision. One would be remiss not to mention Dave Foley who played a part that was totally unlike anything I've ever seen from him. Truly amazing he was. Like I said, there wasn't a bad actor in the movie.

Drew Daywalt and David Schneider seemed to make great directors and great writers. As Dave Foley said (the gist of it anyway from the DVD extras) - the difference between one director and two directors is that with two director's you have to pretend to listen to TWO people. Dave's humour! This movie is well developed, it has good camera action, and leaves you feeling like you spent two hours wisely.

It's a classic for me and will sit on my shelf proudly displayed while I mention it to everyone who visits!

Pick up the movie!

I thought this movie kicked ass...I got the movie on discount just because John Digweed and Nick Muir did the soundtrack for it. It was all centered around music that I love and the plot was not bad at all. Let's not forget National Geographic!!! Who doesn't love NG?? I thought all of the references to the things happening in the animal kingdom was a very nice touch. I have seen that movie in more than one way...and it only gets better. Few movies have the ability to be good both ways. At any rate...I was impressed with Scott's performance...even though he did beat up the DJ...party foul!! I must have listening to the soundtrack for about a month before I realized that it was for a movie...since there are bites from the movie in the soundtrack...it was just like filling in the blanks.

There's a good reason this movie was released direct to video- it's moronic. There are some fun rave scenes and some cute girls but the plot is non existent as are the laughs. I wound up fast forwarding through the scenes near the end because it was so tedious and boring. The best scene was bludgeoning a snake with a big floppy dildo, so that tells you how great this movie is- not real great. It's just dumb and boring from start to finish. They may have been able to save this movie if they had made it a porno because the plot and the acting is on par with a porno so you wouldn't notice the terrible parts if all those cute rave girls were doing something worth watching in between it all.

I literally just finished watching this film and to say that I was impressed is an understatement. This film is good, really good. It obviously has its flaws and some of the plot lines contained in the film are a little strange but overall the film works. The film follows Ben McGewen (Scott) and his band of thieves as they try to break into a bank vault through the wall of a night club where McGewen works. Over the course of the film, villains, the police and many other funny incidents are introduced to the audience and they all provide comedy and substance to the movie. There are several things in this film which must be applauded. First, Scott's performance is spot on and shows he can do characters outside of the Stifmeister. The supporting cast are also very good. However, what is truly great about this film, apart from the editing and direction, is the plot. Drew Daywalt and David Schneider (writers and directors) manage to create an environment where the audience are sitting on the edge of their seat waiting for the next bizarre occurrence to get in the way of the job. Sure, the conclusion is done well, but its the actually story that makes this film worth watching. Im surprised this film went straight to video and I hope that more people see it, if not for the immortal lines: Scott: So what are you doing now? Jeffrey Jay: I rob banks. Scott: What you doing here then? Jeffrey Jay: Robbing a bank. Brilliantly acted, directed and with a very suitable musical score I give this film an easy 8 out of 10.

Sorry for the people who think it sucks. What the hell are you expecting ? It's just good entertainment. The characters are well chosen and good acted. A bunch of things go wrong, here and there a funny thing, a little bit of tension . . . I'm really glad I've rented this one. Sean W. Scott on his best ! I'm also glad that he's not his regular character. If you like this actor, go and see bulletproof monk, where he also plays a cool role. It's about a bunch of amateurs trying to rob a volt. So no comments like, "in a good film the heist would of been more professional, etc" they are playing amateurs. It's a fun, cool, just great movie.

7/10 Greetz Grande

About a heist, perpetrated under the cover of a rave.

The look of the lead character, and the scenes of fast cars at the beginning give it a lot of promise, with a good idea and some action, but the film soon slowed, became repetitive and then relied on a series of clichéd moments for effect.

Some of these ancillary plot lines are rather tacky. They include alternative forms of sex, including with a 16 yr old, and drink-spiking.

Personally I would have rated this as an 18.

We stopped watching after an hour and I am terribly sorry, but I have to say it was one of the worst films I have ever seen.

'Stark Raving Mad' is one of those late-night, mid-week, B-movie feel movies that uses a recognisable face (Seann William Scott) to front a cast of lesser-knows talent (although I did recognise Patrick Breen from 'Men in Black' and 'Galaxy Quest'). Even so, this movie is a pleasing take on the usual bank heist concept and a nice little gem in a movie collection.

It may not be anything special to rave about, but the script is none-the-less fairly well-written. It certainly keeps everything moving at a decent pace without getting you loss and the dialogue has a nice straight-forward flow to it, so you can kick back and enjoy without having to think.

Some might say that the characters are obvious -- crime lords, cops, nightclub owner, the main man, etc., etc. I say that they're varied and eclectic, giving rise a range of amusing on-screen chemistries and antics. They're acted well enough, so I can't complain.

The movie also boasts some pleasingly creative (and if not creative, then definitely interesting) film-making. I particularly liked the way they presented narration/exposition.

The one thing, however, that I really like about this movie is the soundtrack. It's an original score (By DJ John Digweed) of nice pounding beat-y bassy techno dance music that gets you bopping every time. I will sit with this movie playing repeatedly in the background just to hear the music.

All in all, 'Stark Raving Mad' is an entertaining, light-hearted movie that probably deserves a bit more credit than it gets. I give this movie 8/10, not so much because there's anything spectacular about it, but just because I really like this movie.

I was smiling to myself all throughout this movie, because it was such a well-intentioned break-away role for SWS. I mean, I could feel how much this part meant to him as an actor, and while I thought he did a decent job with Ben's character, somehow I'm still unable to completely accept SWS as a MAN. There's something too undeniably boyish about him; it's almost like he doesn't quite have the life experience to make himself fully believable as a complex, edgy hustler like Ben, at least not yet.

But you just keep plugging away, Seann. You're intense and you've got drive and talent, and that really comes across. Acting lessons might be something to keep in mind, however.

The other comment I want to make is regarding the audio commentary. It was entertaining and enlightening, but I found SWS's constant juvenile eruptions regarding "HOT chicks" to be distracting and tedious. Yes, we get it. There were a lot of hot chicks on the set, and you didn't score with any of them, apparently, although you wanted to, which makes you everyman. Now shut the hell up about it, already. He explodes with passionate enthusiasm about "hot" women on every single commentary he does, no matter which movie it is, but for some reason it annoyed me more this time around.

The thing is, females comprise a huge percentage of SWS's audience, and when we're sitting at home in our bunny slippers chugging Yoo Hoo and watching the DVD, we're melting because one of our favorite actors is up there looking smoking hot and incredibly BLASTABLE. We're fantasizing about how cool it would be to hook up with this guy, and then?

SWS goes and says something stupid like, "Dude, look at her. Was she HOT or WHAT?" (Insert sound of fingernails on chalkboard, or needle scraping across record). It probably wouldn't be nearly as objectionable if he didn't say it every thirty seconds or so, but he does, to the point where it becomes off-putting and funky. It only underscores his essential lack of polish and maturity. (For instance, can you imagine The Rock saying stuff like that on an audio commentary? Didn't think so...)

Having said all that, let me also say that I predict SWS will have an amazingly successful career. It will be so much fun to sit back and watch him grow and watch what kind of movies he'll choose to make. If only he'd stop saying, "Dude, she was SOOOO hot!", he'd be perfect!

BTW, the music in this movie is incredibly powerful and relentless, and so realistic that it's almost like a separate character. They nailed the rave thing brilliantly, and I fully intend to purchase the soundtrack.

The other day me and a friend of mine were discussing Seann William Scott. We were watching evolution and both thought it was great but Sean William Scott is just playing the same character over and over and its gonna end soon if he doesnt do something else. (though I do hope they make an evolution sequel, but not likely) Then my friend was like "well he did have that striaght to video action movie or whatever it was" I was like " geeze straight to video already, he didnt have a chance." It got me very interested, however, since Stark Raving Mad was the only movie Seann Scott had been in I had not seen.

I went and rented the film and me and my friend watched it the next day. What I was was surprised. Here is a film that deserves much better than the straight to video release it got. It has top notch direction, excellent pacing and sets and a truly fitting musical score. This film is a little light on plot but it makes up for it with its excellent characters, I found it truly a pleasure to watch. Seann William Scott really steps up to the plate with this film and brings something new to the table.

I watched the film through with the commentary track the next day and I have to say if you like commentary tracks this one is almost more entertaining than the film itself. If Seann William Scott ever reads this (not that I expect him to) I would want him to know how his enthusiasm for this project and real want to do something different than typical American Pie characters really comes through in the film, I could really tell this was more than a paycheck for Seann. In the immortal words of Seann Scott's co-star Monet Mazur "This movie should be called Stark Raving Fun... 'cause thats what we've been having." lol

Hm, I guess people were still making Tarantino-imitation capers in 2002. Like most, this borrows some ideas & a general flippancy of attitude from early QT but is more pretend- clever than actually clever; the dialog is snippy rather than snappy and the hipness feels strained. And like most of them, the attention to superficial visual style and editorial energy keeps it watchable in a no-brainer way.

I love Seann William Scott and was psyched to see what he'd do in a starring role in a non- comedy. But basically he's just playing generic black-muscle-shirt-clad, bicep-bulging, smirking Cooler Than Thou action movie protagonist—he looks and acts here like a younger Jason Statham, which is fine as far as it goes but not a terribly interesting use of his abilities. You know something's wrong when they give him a bit nodding to "Dude, Where's My Car's?" Chinese takeout scene and it's so lame he can't even make THAT funny.

The concept is: SWS stages loud nightclub event is staged to cover his cohorts' pulling a next- door bank heist. Naturally, everything goes wrong until miraculously everything goes right.

The rave setting helps keep the images colorful, though as rave portraits go it's the usual Hollywood thing, about as realistic as "Thank God It's Friday" was about disco culture. (Actually maybe it really IS a Hollywood thing—as in, if the rave is literally taking place in a Hollywood club, people might actually look, dress and act like this.) In lieu of repartee the characters mostly just bitch at each other in routinely scatological terms; what are supposed to be a rogue's gallery of flamboyant roles aren't memorable in either writing or performance. There's no real suspense or flair for action (admittedly the "action" is very small-scale), and you've got to suspend a whole lotta disbelief throughout. But as I said, there's enough eye candy and fast enough pacing to hold your attention, if not your imagination.

Anyway, so this is a wannabe mix of Tarantino and "Go" that's technically well-crafted but in content is stuff you've seen before many times, both better and a lot worse. I don't remember this playing theaters and the directors do not appear to have made a 2nd feature, so I guess nobody else was highly impressed either.

I just saw this and I can't believe how hideous it was. I want my 2 hours of life back!!!! Even my boyfriend, who can sit through anything, walked out! Who's writing these great reviews? It obviously is the directors or writers cause this is a stinker!

This was a great movie, not a block buster, sure, but a great movie none the less. I just saw it on Showtime and wondered why I didn't see it in the theaters.

Good jobs all around. The directing was excellent and Sean could have carried the movie all by himself, but didn't have to. Sure some of the scenes were predictable and have been done elsewhere, but find me a movie where that isn't true. You have to judge this movie for what it set out to be: a farcical heist film. I predict that those that loved Hudson Hawk will like this movie as well.

MollyMock

Having seen this through a rental release, i think this is a film that deserved much more. For a film that only got a rental release, it seems to be a cut above the rest of many rental releases and perhaps some movies that have released at the cinema.

I noticed this movie for the John Digweed crafted soundtrack, and was pleasantly surprised by the high quality of the film itself.

I could go on for hours about how great i think the whole film is, from the soundtrack to the cast, and to the writer/directors however, i will take up too much space doing so.

However, hats off to to Drew Daywalt and David Schneider who have crafted, along with everyone else who worked on the film, a film that deserves much better treatment.

ten out of ten, two thumbs up etc etc etc

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this movie. I couldn't figure out why it was released in theatres in other countries but not in North America, didn't make sense. And after watching it, I'm even more puzzled, I mean this is a really good movie, edgy and fast-paced. Drew Daywalt and Dave Schneider did a great job with this. Seann William Scott (Ben McGewen) made a complete departure from his Stifler character of the American Pie movies, and that is what being an actor is all about. Timm Sharp (Rikki Simms) was really good playing the guy on the edge of a complete and total breakdown. The thieving trio of Patrick Breen (Jeffrey Jay), John B. Crye (Jake Nealson) and Suzy Nakamura (Betty Shin) were believably on the verge of killing each other in the process of helping their friend Ben make this final score.

Lou Diamond Phillips (Gregory) with his shocking white hair was at his intensely malicious best here. He played it completely straight and hard. I have recently seen Lone Hero which he literally finished filming just days before beginning work on his scenes in Stark Raving Mad and the transformation was a double shock from long black hair to short white. Anyway, Gregory is a mob boss intent on collecting a debt left behind by Ben's deceased brother, Kevin. Ben is equally intent on paying off this debt and being done with the likes of Gregory. He enlists the help of his best friend Rikki and the larcenous trinity of Betty, Jake and Jeffrey to pull off a daring bank vault robbery. The bank happens to share a wall with a nightclub providing the opportunity of the perfect cover for the job. Ben works it out with the club's owner, played by Adam Arkin, to hold a rave but the owner is having second thoughts about it and becomes a potential obstacle to Ben's success. Another obstacle comes in the guise of the DJ played by Jody Racicot. The DJ who was originally hired couldn't make it so this guy shows up with his records and an attitude. Obstacle number three is, of course, a girl, played by Monet Mazur as Vanessa, neither the actress nor the character added anything to the story.

All is going according to plan, albeit slowly and not without an assortment of problems small and large when Ben notices the noise in the club is decreasing, this is a bad thing as the bank vault alarm will go off if the vibrations from the noise drop below a certain level. Ben goes out to check with his doorman Dirk, played by Canadian character actor, C. Ernst Harth who seems to be appearing in just about everything these days. Dirk informs his boss that there are a lot of kids trying to pass off fake ids to get in, conveniently there's one suspicious young lady right there who insists that the id is not fake, she just changed her hair colour and proceeds to lift her dress to prove her point. C. Ernst gives one of the best visual reactions I've ever seen.

The snappy dialogue, driving backbeat, and a talented cast equal a very watchable and enjoyable movie and the commentary track on the DVD is hilarious. I give it a solid 9/10.