Starring Tim Meadows and Will Ferrell
���� Tim Meadows fills the role of �The Ladies Man,� (Paramount, R), a movie that runs on the steam of an often-funny skit but runs out of gas after moments of chuckles. The disintegration of another �SNL� skit finally might be the death knell for the knock-off skit movie. We can only hope.
���� But fault doesn�t necessarily lie with Meadows, an underrated performer who has stuck with the show through many painful casting choices. This movie never should have been made.
���� Meadows stars as Leon Phelps, a stuck-in-the-�70s player of hearts in modern times. The radio personality keeps night owls company with a raunchy advice program, focusing on many ways to advocate a wide variety of sex.
���� A randy poem breaks the prudent station�s back, resulting in the firing of Phelps and his producer, Julie (Karyn Parsons). A journey through a variety of unfunny job interviews gives a glimpse into Phelps� decked-out houseboat, outlandishly strewn with a variety of campy decorations.
���� It�s through this type of humor that the movie hits the funny bone, but that humor is rarely used. Instead of creating a fantasy world and not commenting on its weirdness, the movie goes for the easy joke, exemplifying the carelessness of the scriptwriting.
���� While Phelps is down on his luck, a gang of husbands and boyfriends, led by Will Ferrell, organize over the Internet to fight Phelps, the seducer who takes away their women. A whole mess of ugly men from cult-followed shows (such as the fat guy from �Herman�s Head�) aim to bring down the man of tumescent loins, symbolic of the dorky white guy�s efforts to bring down the disco culture.
���� Meanwhile, a love story develops because something needes to combat the meaningless sex scenes. A letter from an unknown former fling leads Phelps on a chase for riches because that�s what he wants from a woman. The stench of an ignorant-turned-humble climax is stronger than incense in a windowless flat.
���� The majority of the laughs come from Ferrell, who relishes in the weird bad-guy role that punctuates many of his �SNL� characters, such as his outlandish John Rocker. Tarnishing his efforts to thrill are annoying overtones of homosexuality, placed for cheap, vulgar laughs.
���� But, honestly, nonexistent expectations allow producer Lorne Michaels to make cheap, efficient movies while the television show is on break that most likely will break even after video sales. Gems such as �Wayne�s World� succeeded by building a series of situations that focused on the characters rather than just taking different aspects of the character and blowing them out of cinematic proportions.
���� A new approach? Create a movie, cast many of the �SNL� actors and former actors looking for food money before E! television does a �True Hollywood Stories� on them, and hire scriptwriters willing to work on a project that may not have a built-in audience but has a better chance to prosper artistically. The cast hasn�t been the problem. The writers have become complacent, and sharp wit has been rounded at the edges.
���� Or, keep making schlock like �The Ladies Man� and revel in awfulness, feeling like a fresh player slapped across the face by a self-respecting audience.
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