Overview & Premise
In 2009, Miss March was released as an American comedy film, which Cregger and Moore starred, directed, and wrote, alongside their previous work with The Whitest Kids U’ Know. The film seeks to achieve a combination of outrageous humor, gross-out gags, and a road trip narrative through a blend of the two childhood friends and their ridiculous trip to the playboy mansion.
The film was advertised to have the same sort of humor as American Pie and Road Trip, promising sex-filled humor and ridiculous situations. Unfortunately, the movie fell short of expectations alongside the lack of positive reviews and an incredulously harsh reception. While the film has its nonsensical and funny moments, those moments are clouded by a lack of creativity and poor execution throughout the different genres of the film.
Plot Summary
The plot focuses on Eugene Bell, a high school senior student and a nerd with tightly bound hobbies. Eugene had been going out with a girl named Cindi for around 2 years and had never attempted to have sex with her, until the two decided to go to prom. Unfortunately, an accident involving a flashlight and a staircase means Eugene will have to wait 4 years of blom to wake up.
Eugene’s world is unrecognizable. Everything has changed. His parents have moved away, his friends are gone, and to make things worse, his long-time girlfriend Cindi is now a Playboy centerfold and Miss March. Turning to his childhood best friend Tucker doesn’t make things any better. While Tucker is hyperactive and sex obsessed, at least he hasn’t completely vanished from Eugene’s life.
After everything that has happened, Eugene is still going on a trip to the Playboy Mansion with Cindi to win her back. What follows is a cross-country, episodic journey loaded with absurd and male-oriented absurdist humor. The beloved Eugene is sorry. Psychotic firefighters, and a rapper with a speech impediment, a horde of self-absorbed party-goers, furious ex-boyfriends, and even Hugh Hefner himself are only some of the ridiculous, out-of-this-world characters he meets.
Eugene’s personality is now facing a barrage of outlandish raunchy experiences that clash with everything he has ever known. The contrast of his previously sheltered life building the tension to a hysterical eruption. The absurd string of events serves to not only test the strength of his and Tucker’s friendship, but their morality, the chaotic journey fundamentally altering their identities.
The climax takes place in center of the drama; the Playboy Mansion, where slapstick gags and nudity abound. There is also more slapstick smack in the middle of more slapstick gags and nudity. Eugene and Cindi have a final showdown and that’s the center of the drama. Cindi gives a moment of tenderness that is unexpected, where we learn the reason she posed for Playboy.
Cast & Characters
Zach Cregger as Eugene Bell
Cregger plays the straight man to Trevor Moore’s wild antics. Eugene is terribly socially awkward and constantly out-naïved and out-guyed in every social interaction. Cregger’s performance is intentionally stiff, embodying the stereotype of the uptight protagonist who must learn to let go.
Trevor Moore as Tucker Cleigh
Jezus, Tucker. Moore brings his trademark sketch comedy energy to the utterly exhausting character. He plays an impulsive, stereotype-sex obsessed friend who completely lacks self control. The character is somehow at once energetic and tired due to the sheer volume of antics and unrelenting shock humor.
Raquel Alessi as Cindi Whitehall
Cindi is Eugene’s love interest and her character is, as per the industry standard, rather one dimensional. Serving as the catalyst for the film’s journey; she is the sweet, innocent girlfriend but then turns into a Playboy model and during that rather abrupt transition we get a taste of a somewhat empowered, independent version of herself, but not too much because she stays unreloved.
Craig Robinson as Horsedick.MPEG
Robinson takes on the role of a hip-hop artist with an offensive name and an over the top caricature of a rapper. Robinson’s humor helps redeem the film’s stereotypical portrayal of hip-hop culture. He delivers some of the film’s best-remembered lines and scenes.
Hugh Hefner as Himself
The late Playboy founder appears as himself, offering sage-like advice to Eugene in the film’s final act. This cameo blends humor with genuine affection, awkwardly simple yet touching, and ironic given the wacky storyline that unfolds before and after.
Style and Tone
Rather than transforming a straightforward narrative into yet another off-color buddy road comedy, Miss March follows the formula to a T. The film leans heavily on shock tactics that prioritise sex and crudeness as the narrative takes a backseat to frantic, chaotic humor. The pacing and direction do not feel coherent; some scenes seem to be long stand-up sketches with no relation to the film.
The film showcases a range of visual and slapstick gags prevalent in 2000s gross comedies: excessive sexual and toilet humor, physical humor, and uncomfortable dialogues. The humor is largely juvenile and absurd.
Miss March employs handheld camerawork and quick edits to create a visually fast-paced, irreverent energy. However, the pacing can feel disjointed, particularly when the jokes linger past their peak.
While Miss March may not be thematic in a traditional sense, the film’s crude humor is undercut by the following ideas:
Coming of Age: Eugene’s journey is, in theory, a growing up story, evolving from a repressed adolescent to a sexually and emotionally mature adult. Despite the potential, the execution is far too chaotic to be satisfying.
Friendship: The interplay of Eugene and Tucker is the glue of the film. Their unwavering loyalty is put to the test time and again, and their bond embodies the comedic clash of opposites. Though their friendship endures, it becomes difficult to root for either character, who is portrayed with absurd, exaggerated flaws.
Sexuality and Media: The film lightly touches on the impact media has on sex and relationships with the inclusion of Playboy and Hugh Hefner, but these notions are too shallow to be meaningful. Rather, they feel more like a backdrop than the focus.
Critical Reception
At the time of its release, Miss March was slammed by critics, and its box office returns were dismal. Critics went after lowbrow humor, weak writing, and lack of originality. Many seemed to agree that the film was a carbon copy of better-made comedies from the same era.
Viewers also expressed disappointment, stating that the film’s tone seemed far too immature for the target audience, and the characters were poorly developed. While the film has garnered a few absurdist cult fans, Miss March is considered a failed attempt by talented comedic actors and writers.
Legacy & Aftermath
Plans for any potential sequel or follow-up to Miss March were immediately scrapped, and the film’s reception did not help. While Cregger and Moore went on to pursue their careers in comedy— Moore tragically passing in 2021— Miss March remains a largely ignored and lesser-known 2000s sex comedy.
That said, the film is of some interest to fans of The Whitest Kids U’ Know, and of unapologetically immature and over-the-top humor. For the rest, it stands as a testament to the fact that comedians experienced in sketches can struggle while adapting to a feature-length format.
In Summary
Miss March attempts to combine heartfelt storytelling with shock humor, blending a tumultuous, erotic road trip a comedy, but largely falls short. Its energetic and dynamic performances, alongside a few moments of genuine hilarity, are overshadowed by the film’s overreliance on outdated stereotypes, weak plotting, and repetitive gags.
Miss March serves as an illustrative example of a particular time in comedy—a time when narrative depth was often sacrificed in the name of comedy. While it doesn’t offer much in the way of lasting entertainment or insight, those who enjoy absurd and offensive humor may find it worth a curious watch. For the rest of us, the film serves as an easily skippable, footnote in the early 2000’s era of comedy cinema.
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