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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:46

Fresh:1

Rotten:45

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 fresh rating; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
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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
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Don't expect anything of depth and you won't be disappointed by this predigested pabulum.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment 32 Comments
01/26/08
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
NewsBlaze

I'm moving to Europe.

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

It's so bad even Carmen Electra should be embarrassed.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment 1 Comment
01/28/08
Adam Graham
Adam Graham
Detroit News

Until the mainstream produces some films undeserving of idiot violation, the idiot violation represented by Meet the Spartans -- a Xerox of absolute zero -- will be par for the course.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
01/25/08
Adam Nayman
Adam Nayman
eye WEEKLY

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
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine

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
Bill Gibron
Filmcritic.com

OK, I get it now: Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg are agents of Satan himself, and their recruitment video is Meet the Spartans...a new low even for these diseased buffoons.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
01/25/08
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
eFilmCritic.com

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
Clark Collis
Entertainment Weekly

Meet the Spartans is a downtrodden cinematic vacuum—a sickening, derivative, shallow, condescending, utterly worthless piece of ....

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
01/25/08
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

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
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

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.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Film Threat

It's mind-boggling to imagine that this witless, amateurish mess came from supposedly professional writers and directors.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
01/28/08
Frank Lovece
Frank Lovece
Film Journal International

Writer-directors Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer basically reprise the tired formula from their earlier efforts, which is to throw in as many pop culture references as possible to cover up the lack of any real wit.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
01/25/08
Frank Scheck
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter

What's the point of making a parody that's dumber than the stuff it parodies?

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment 2 Comments
01/25/08
Gene Seymour
Gene Seymour
Newsday

It’s only about an hour and a quarter long, although a closing dance number stretches it out another few minutes. Brevity, it turns out, is also the soul of stupidity.

Full Review Source: Canada.com | comment Comment
01/25/08
Jay Stone
Jay Stone
Canada.com

Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, the team behind Meet the Spartans, prove that ridiculing other movies is much easier than making your own.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/25/08
Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

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

Lazy, lame and painfully unfunny.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/25/08
Joe Leydon
Joe Leydon
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Frequently pauses to shower someone with vomit, pus, urine or excrement. It should be called Meet the Bodily Fluids.

Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | comment Comment
01/25/08
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; Australian critics are listed first)
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