Strangers With Candy

Amy Sedaris brings her funny TV show to the big screen with mixed results. A prequel to the Comedy Central series shows the origins of Jerri Blank (Sedaris), a 46-year-old high school freshman looking to save her father (Dan Hedaya) from a coma by excelling at school and being the good girl she never was. The movie retains the sick spirit of the show, with Paul Dinello (who plays the super sensitive art teacher) directing. A substantial amount of cameo appearances from the likes of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Justin Theroux, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, with much of the TV show cast returning to duty (including a very funny Stephen Colbert as science teacher Chuck Noblet.) The film is good for its first hour, then it sort of spins out of control while approaching its finale. Still, it has enough laughs that you can forgive the shortfalls.