Before His Lord Of The Rings Movie, Stephen Colbert Co-wrote A Comedy Based On A Cult Sitcom

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The Comedy Central bid "Strangers pinch Candy" was a deliberately off-putting, forthrightly crass sitcom that served arsenic a acheronian reflector to nan perpetually rebooted "Degrassi" franchise (or, rather, a satire of ABC's After School Specials). The show was group astatine nan fictional Flatpoint High School and followed nan whimsical adventures of nan teens and teachers that attended and taught there. The protagonist and narrator for nan series, however, was Jerri Blank (Amy Sedaris), a 46-year-old erstwhile activity worker and serial criminal. Jerri declares successful nan opening narration that she's been to prison, took a batch of drugs, and moreover "stole nan TV."

But now she's wished to get her life successful bid by returning to her freshman twelvemonth successful precocious school.  Jerri attends classes alongside nan show's teen characters, astir of whom are supernaturally quadrate and innocent. "Strangers pinch Candy" is tasteless and surreal, truthful it people garnered thing of a cult pursuing complete its 30 episodes. It ran from 1999 to 2000, correct erstwhile "shock" joke was connected nan rise, and it was surely retired connected nan bleeding edge. Sedaris co-created nan bid pinch Paul Dinello, Mitch Rouse, and early "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert, who's now co-writing a "Lord of nan Rings" movie sequel. That aforesaid quartet had antecedently created nan 1995 Comedy Central sketch drama bid "Exit 57." 

Perhaps a fewer years excessively late, Colbert, Sedaris, and Dinello (sans Rouse) yet re-teamed to constitute a "Strangers pinch Candy" prequel characteristic film, which deed theaters successful 2006. The movie was ne'er portion of nan original plan, but nan trio was moving connected their 2003 book "Wigfield: The Can-Do Town That Just May Not," and they conscionable kept coming up pinch bully speech for Jerri Blank, arsenic Sedaris discussed pinch nan AV Club successful 2008.

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The "Strangers pinch Candy" movie made immoderate melodramatic casting changes to its predecessor. Maria Thayer, who played nan characteristic of Tammi, was nan only character who played a teen connected nan show to look successful nan prequel film. Luckily, the "Strangers pinch Candy" TV series' cult fanbase was ample capable to pull aggregate celebrities, truthful nan movie features tons of typical appearances. Indeed, Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker some show up here, arsenic do Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ian Holm, Allison Janney, Justin Theroux, and a pre-"Parks and Recreation" Chris Pratt. It's not 1 of Pratt's champion movies, sadly.

Elsewhere, Paul Dinello and Stephen Colbert reprise their respective roles from nan original show as wimpy creation coach Mr. Jellineck and history coach Chuck Noblet ... 2 characters who besides hap to be not-so-secret lovers.

As you've apt put together by now, then, the "Stranger pinch Candy" TV bid sewage a batch of comedic mileage from nan thought that it was getting distant pinch something. It was ne'er a immense success, but its bizarre reside made it consciousness for illustration its creators had managed to gaffe thing onto nan Comedy Central airwaves without asking permission. The prequel movie, connected nan different hand, suffered from having to infiltrate a acold wider marketplace. It, too, wasn't a hit, but nan beingness of celebrities, and nan truth that it was expanded from thing truthful small, gave it a whiff of commercialized approval. Even so, it felt a batch little subversive than its predecessor.

Similarly, Colbert enjoys a massively prolific TV profession nowadays, but he's only ever written this 1 film. Those who cognize him solely from "The Late Show" whitethorn moreover beryllium shocked to spot nan kinds of sex, crime, narcotics jokes connected show here.

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Again, it should beryllium noted that nan "Strangers pinch Candy" movie isn't very good. It's little subversive and fringe-y than nan TV series, but much than that, it's conscionable not very funny. It was ne'er going to beryllium a blockbuster, but its $2.3 cardinal return astatine nan container agency still seems debased to me. 

Critics besides had middling feelings towards nan movie, and it presently boasts a just-okay 51% captious support standing connected Rotten Tomatoes (based connected 102 reviews). Mark Olsen, penning for nan Los Angeles Times, felt that nan movie couldn't warrant its beingness from a imaginative standpoint. The movie "seems for illustration a lackadaisically expanded section of nan tv show," arsenic he put it. His constituent being, if nan "Strangers pinch Candy" TV bid was a spoof of ABC's notorious After School Specials, past nan movie type had mislaid show of that. 

Other critics were connected nan movie's wavelength. Writing for nan AV Club, nan venerable Nathan Rabin understood its off-kilter consciousness of joke and felt that nan movie was very akin to nan TV series; it was conscionable little amusing. Still, he agreed pinch Olsen that nan underlying satire of nan "Strangers pinch Candy" spot was little effective successful cinematic form. "On television, 'Strangers With Candy' sneered astatine nan peppy clichés of afterschool specials, but nan communicative demands of characteristic films can't beryllium laughed disconnected truthful easily, and nary of nan film's skimpy crippled threads connection overmuch of a payoff," he observed.

Of course, by 2006, Stephen Colbert had completed a successful stint connected "The Daily Show" and had already started his spin-off "The Colbert Report." With a (questionable) "Lord of nan Rings" movie now connected his docket, his "Strangers pinch Candy" days are agelong down him.