Quartile rating: 4.5/10 · 1 rating
A series of interconnected short films are the backdrop for a maniac screenwriter who pitches insane storylines featuring some of Hollywood's biggest and brightest. In some countries, like the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, the structure differs. Instead of a pitch, the films are connected by a group of three teenagers searching for the most banned film in the world, Movie 43, which will ultimately lead to the destruction of civilization.
Movie 43 is widely regarded as one of the worst films ever made. Its anthology structure cycles through crude, shock-value sketches with no coherent throughline or payoff. The plot framing device is incoherent and the sketches themselves range from unfunny to actively repellent. Acting is marginally salvaged by the sheer number of A-list stars (Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, etc.) who somehow agreed to participate, though most seem embarrassed. Cinematography is functional at best — competent enough for the format but unremarkable. Novelty scores low because the gross-out anthology format, while theoretically distinctive, executes ideas that feel recycled from rejected SNL sketches and juvenile internet humor. The ending is essentially nonexistent, offering no resolution or satisfaction in either structural version of the film.