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Movies / On DVD / Meet the Spartans
Meet the Spartans

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Meet the Spartans (2008)

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Reviews Counted: 45

Fresh: 1

Rotten:44

Average Rating: 1.9/10

Consensus: A tired, unfunny, offensive waste of time, Meet the Spartans scrapes the bottom of the cinematic barrel.

Australian Rating: M [See Full Rating] Moderate comedic violence, Crude sexual humour

Runtime: 87 mins

Genre: Comedies

Australian Theatrical Release:
Feb 28, 2008 Wide

US Box Office: $38,011,770

Synopsis: Writers/producers/directors Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (DATE MOVIE, EPIC MOVIE) use the film 300 as the basis for their latest spoof. Born to be the perfect Spartan, Leonidas (Sean Magiure)... Writers/producers/directors Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (DATE MOVIE, EPIC MOVIE) use the film 300 as the basis for their latest spoof. Born to be the perfect Spartan, Leonidas (Sean Magiure) faces numerous trials en route to becoming a man, including a face-off with the penguin from HAPPY FEET. Once he has proven himself, Leonidas not only becomes king, but also marries superhot (and slightly slutty) Margot (Carmen Electra). When Leonidas learns that Persia's King Xerxes (Ken Davitian, BORAT) plans to make Sparta his own, he has his captain (Kevin Sorbo, HERCULES) recruit Sparta's finest and prepare them for battle against invading Persian forces. Unfortunately, that amounts to only 13 half-naked men with painted-on abs who literally prance to their destination. To make matters worse, Spartan councilman Traitoro (Diedrich Bader) is, well, a traitor. Still, Leonidas and his men face their enemy in battle, riffing on STOMP THE YARD, GHOST RIDER, TRANSFORMERS, and numerous other films along the way, as well as the video game GRAND THEFT AUTO. Freidberg and Seltzer poke fun at virtually every recent cultural phenomenon and pop culture personality, including Britney Spears, Kevin Federline, Paris Hilton, DANCING WITH THE STARS, AMERICAN IDOL, and DEAL OR NO DEAL. Even UGLY BETTY makes an appearance. Be prepared for an abundance of gross-out humor, spurts of bodily fluids, some sexual innuendo, and multiple jokes about homosexuality. Stick around after the musical finale as the credits start to roll: the deleted scenes prove to be some of the most amusing in the film. [More]

Starring: Sean Maguire, Carmen Electra, Ken Davitian, Kevin Sorbo

Starring: Sean Maguire, Carmen Electra, Ken Davitian, Kevin Sorbo, Diedrich Bader, Method Man

Director: Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer

Director: Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer
Screenwriter: Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer
Producer: Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer, Peter Safran
Composer: Christopher Lennertz
Studio: 20th Century Fox

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Reviews for Meet the Spartans

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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One of the most painfully bad comedies I've ever had to endure, and I've seen the collected works of Martin Lawrence, Tim Allen, Ice Cube AND Cedric the Entertainer

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
02/04/08
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

What does it say about a film with an hour running time that has twenty minutes of outtakes after the credits to reach theatrical length? Very little that's positive.

Full Review Source: MovieCrypt.com | comment Comment
02/10/09
Kevin A. Ranson
MovieCrypt.com

While still not a grand work of art, Meet the Spartans improves upon the formula established in the earlier parodies of Friedberg and Seltzer.

Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
09/03/08
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy

It's not very good at all, but I did manage to laugh at some moments of sudden pratfalls and comic violence, but the talkshow reference mentality has to go!

Full Review Source: Sin Magazine | comment Comment
07/22/08
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine

A bizarre, leering orgy of celebrity crotches, lowbrow horny gay buffoons in leather, moronic gladiator mayhem, and too-much-information cascading bodily fluids galore.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
05/29/08
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze

Besides the few chuckles I had, the movie was just dreadfully bad.

Full Review Source: WJFK-FM (CBS Radio) | comment Comment
05/24/08
Kevin McCarthy
WJFK-FM (CBS Radio)

everybody should be ashamed

Full Review Source: sbs.is | comment Comment
04/09/08
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
sbs.is

Obviously, it's rubbish.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment 1 Comment
03/20/08
Simon Braund
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is supposed to be a spoof of '300.' But 'Meet the Spartans' isn't a satire of anything. It's just a bunch of body-function-based skits that randomly feature scenes from movies and television shows -- and not a single one of them is laugh-inducing

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
02/24/08
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

...couldn't get a laugh from a hyena.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
02/05/08
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

Meet the Spartans can't even get its fart jokes right. How incredibly sad is that?

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
02/04/08
Bill Gibron
Filmcritic.com

To devote an entire feature film to making fun of another film's universally acknowledged gay subtext seems to me good cause for said filmmakers to have a sit-down with their muse, because somebody's been sleeping on the job.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
02/01/08
Kimberly Jones
Austin Chronicle

The result in Meet the Spartans is less classic Mel Brooks than middling Best Week Ever.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
01/30/08
Clark Collis
Entertainment Weekly

This was the worst movie I've ever seen, so bad that I hesitate to label it a 'movie' and thus reflect shame upon the entire medium of film.

Full Review Source: Slate | comment 3 Comments
01/30/08
Josh Levin
Slate

It's rare that a movie makes me ill these days, and it's rare that I can see a movie and hate the people behind it with such abhorrence, but "Meet the Spartans" rises to the challenge...

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
01/30/08
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Film Threat

When the comedy revolution comes, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer will be the first ones shot.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
01/30/08
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

Messrs. Friedberg and Seltzer make their annual locust-like descent on theaters leaving a trail of ruthlessly murdered brain cells in their wake.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
01/30/08
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

I'm moving to Europe.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment 1 Comment
01/29/08
Aaron Hillis
Village Voice

Inane comedies can be fun when done well, but bad inane comedies are simply embarrassing. You feel pity for the actors making fools of themselves, and flabbergasted that a studio probably passed on making so many other more worthy projects instead.

Full Review Source: IGN Movies | comment Comment
01/28/08
Stax
IGN Movies

The musical number that runs during the closing credits is funnier than anything that precedes it, which isn't saying much.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
01/28/08
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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