While in high school, I belonged to the WDAFL club. “We’ll Do Anything For a Laugh,” each member promised. Having to watch and review Disaster Movie must be payback for the juvenile pranks I took part in back then. It’s a silly, disjointed, crude, unfunny attempt to spoof as many films as possible -- but not necessarily the ones promised in the title.

Written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, Disaster Movie follows in the footsteps of their other comic efforts like Epic Movie, Date Movie and Meet the Spartans. You’re probably thinking, “She should’ve known what she was in for.” And you’re right. However, I always think there’s a pony at the bottom of the manure pile. 

With a bare-bones plot borrowed from Cloverfield, the movie lampoons characters and scenes from 10,000 BC, Juno, Hancock, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Iron Man, Wanted, Enchanted, Beowulf, The Ruins, No Country for Old Men, etc., etc., etc.  But television personalities like Dr. Phil can’t escape the Friedberg/Seltzer passing parade either.

Skill in tying everything together isn’t one of this filmmaking team’s strong points, and neither is presenting something humorous to go along with the people, movies and events being poked fun at. Is it amusing to see a look-alike actor spouting the dialogue the real actor delivered?  Is it funny merely to mention a particular movie? Is it hysterical to see accidents befall certain well-known film characters? Do vulgar jokes and depictions involving body fluids make people laugh? Friedberg and Seltzer would surely answer a resounding “Yes” to all of the above. 

Although Disaster Movie cast members struggle to evoke chuckles from the audience, few succeed. Coming closest to making me laugh were two of my favorite comedians from Mad TV: Ike Barinholtz and Nicole Parker, who both play more than one character. Barinholtz nails just the right look and attitude as "Beowulf," and Parker delivers a remarkably bizarro Amy Adams imitation as the Enchanted Princess. Unfortunately, Will Lanter, Crista Flanagan, Vanesa Minnillo, Gary 'G Thang' Johnson, Kimberley Kardashian and Tony Cox waste their talents in key roles here. 

What’s next for Friedberg and Seltzer? A time out, I hope. They certainly deserve one.  (Capsule review)

(Released by Lionsgate and rated “PG-13” for crude and sexual content throughout, language, drug references and comic violence.)

For more information about this movie, please go to the Internet Movie Data Base or Rotten Tomatoes website.