Comedy Central's creatively crass "after-school special," Strangers with Candy, takes a well-deserved curtain call with this feature film version of the series. Canceled (some fans felt prematurely) after only three seasons, each SWC episode told the story of Jerri Blank (Amy Sedaris), the 46-year-old former "boozer, user, and loser" who goes back to high school to pick up "exactly where (she) left off." The principal audience for this film will be folks who already know the show and need a Candy fix, and they'll be relieved to find that most of the original cast has returned. Co-creators Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello are there (Dinello also directed the movie), and other favorites include Greg Hollimon as Principal Onyx Blackman; Maria Thayer as Jerri's best girlfriend, Tammi Littlenut; Deborah Rush as Jerri's wicked stepmother; and David Pasquesi as her stepmother's lover, Stew. (A few key supporting characters, including Jerri's ethnic friend Orlando, and her half-brother Derrick, have been recast.) The smaller parts are filled out by the biggest stars, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, and Philip Seymour Hoffman; Broderick deserves two thumbs up for his turn as the superstar science teacher, Dr. Roger Beekman.
SWC the movie plays almost as a Reader's Digest version of the show, with Jerri up to her old tricks, including betraying friends and trying to seduce the popular boys. If diehard fans find any fault with the film, it may be that the script doesn't cover enough new territory; a hilarious opening sequence of Miss Blank in prison, for example, only leaves one wanting more. For those who haven't yet matriculated with Jerri, the best way to get to know her wickedly misguided ways is through the series. The show was like cake... the movie is just the icing. --Leah Weathersby
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