It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: Mac & Charlie Make a Movie
December 7, 2009 by Adriana Usero
Filed under Television
Part of the big reason of why I am such a big Sunny fan is its back story. Three guys who got together, got fed up with the lack of acting roles coming their way, and said, “Screw this, I’m making my own show”. So 80 bucks worth of tape, a camcorder, and a Danny DeVito later, here we are witnessing the spoils of the “American dream”. Sure they work hard, and yeah they may have a little thing called “talent”, but really what makes them so damn special? I’m sure I could create/produce/write/star in my own hit TV show. It can’t be that hard, right?
This week’s episode spoofs the creative process through meta-tinted glasses. In what could be billed as a bizarro take on their own quest to develop Sunny, we see the gang dive in head first into the world of film making. So after being summarily dismissed by Dennis for telling a boring story about getting locked in a stairwell, Mac and Charlie embark on writing their own movie in order to prove their storytelling prowess. Oh, and they plan on selling it to M. Night Shyamalan, ‘cause Dee’s a “featured actress” in his new movie.
Things start out well enough as Mac and Charlie set out to write a kick ass action movie staring Dolph Lundgren as a mesh tank top wearing scientist who “cracks skulls and fights crime”. However, Charlie’s warped sensibilities begin derailing the process. What if he could smell crime…and run on all fours…and have a nose for a head? Also Charlie doesn’t have a handle on the entire “twist ending” thing (he thought the fact Bruce Willis wore a hairpiece during The Sixth Sense was the big surprise). The brainstorming scenes were classic, and aside from Charlie’s suggestion of having the titular character be a dog “voiced by Dolph Lundgren” the rest actually seemed to amount to a workable (albeit terrible) movie.
As per usual, Charlie and Mac took their ideas to Dennis, who, taking a break from typing on his new touch screen phone, decides that what the movie needs is a “sexual element”. Step one, feature a sexy lab assistant, step two, have them “bang”…but here’s the twist…full penetration. “We show it…we show it all,” he muses. Despite Charlie’s reservations about turning off the audience with Dolph Lundgren’s penis, Dennis isn’t fazed in the slightest. So Mac and Charlie soldier on, retiring to the library enlisting the help of a Pakistani kid from Baltimore. Despite really digging the “full penetration” he’s not really helpful in the actual writing department. So realizing they are more “big picture” kinda guys, they decide to ditch writing all together and opt to make a poster instead.
The B-story was pretty standard Dee. Instead of being a “featured actress”, she’s a “featured extra”, and worse she ends up doused in blood and hardly recognizable. Adding insult to injury, after refusing Frank’s services as her agent, Dennis waltzes in and snags a part under his representation. Although being pretty funny playing an Ari Gold type, Sunny is always better when there is more Frank to be had. I mean just the sight of him eating sausage links out of his pockets made me giddy.
Things devolved pretty quickly, with Dee and Dennis both getting fired, and Frank swooping in to fill in “…’cause agents don’t do dick…”. The climax of ridiculous M. Night style twists worked beautifully, and that last shot of Dennis screaming as his greasy cell phone froze was perfect. However, I have to say I was a little disappointed that (unlike in his movies) M. Dog didn’t grace us with his presence. I guess the visionary behind Lady in the Water had better things to do.
Fun Facts/Random Thoughts:
-Sadly this is the next to last episode before the “Season Finale” next week.
-I really hate Lady in the Water. I feel it is an offense against man. Which M. Night Shyamalan movie do you hate the most?
-Danny DeVito always seems like he’s sticky. I would not let him touch my cherished electronics.
Season 5, Episode 11: Mac & Charlie Make a Movie (originally aired December 3, 2009)
For more on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, click here.
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Photographs courtesy of FX and IMDbPro
I have to stand up a bit for Signs, because a good deal of it was filmed near my hometown (Newtown, PA). The acting in the movie was actually pretty decent – even though I have to agree that the “aliens killed by water” aspect was slight BS. The Village, on the other hand, deserves to be sold in the under $3 bin at Best Buy.
Least favorite M. Night Shamalamadingdong movie. I got to say the one with the surprise ending. I get it… you got famous with the Sixth Sense. If i wanted to see a Sixth Sense type movie i would watch the Sixth Sense… which i don’t. although if the Sixth Sense had penetration I might. Now can we talk about something important. Like Steroids, can we talk about steroids.
That episode made me fear for my new cellphone…
…The Village… I feel like the movie was a good idea in theory… just not in practice
The Happening. I want to give it a chance because hey, it has Marky Mark. But that one was lost on me.
M Night’s claim to fame of the twist ending pretty much ran its course after the second film, because now you had a formula and everyone knew it.
Sixth Sense was an incredible film, as was Unbreakable, but that’s where it ends. Signs… water.. really… water?
The Village was where the wheels came off the train … all this time the main character was not blind? it was really modern day America… the “monster” was just a dirty coat? Sometimes the less we learn the better.. Hitchcock knew that, just screen Rebecca and you’ll see
Lady in the Water is awful… narfs? really? narfs?
oh and i forgot, my fave bad movie is Signs. because really, aliens manage to come and almost take over, but dont realize the earth’s atmosphere is full of water and the planet is basically 70% water. Really?
I love the creative process. probably because i am not creative and do not process.