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IMDbPro

Very Bad Things

  • 19981998
  • RR
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
48K
YOUR RATING
Very Bad Things (1998)
Home Video Trailer from PolyGram Video
Play trailer1:11
1 Video
99+ Photos
ComedyCrimeThriller
A prostitute is killed during a bachelor party and the attendees turn on each other as the wedding approaches.A prostitute is killed during a bachelor party and the attendees turn on each other as the wedding approaches.A prostitute is killed during a bachelor party and the attendees turn on each other as the wedding approaches.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
48K
YOUR RATING
    • Peter Berg
    • Peter Berg
  • Stars
    • Christian Slater
    • Daniel Stern
    • Cameron Diaz
    • Peter Berg
    • Peter Berg
  • Stars
    • Christian Slater
    • Daniel Stern
    • Cameron Diaz
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 504User reviews
    • 75Critic reviews
    • 31Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Very Bad Things
    Trailer 1:11
    Watch Very Bad Things

    Photos100

    Christian Slater in Very Bad Things (1998)
    Jeremy Piven in Very Bad Things (1998)
    Cameron Diaz in Very Bad Things (1998)
    Christian Slater, Jeremy Piven, Jon Favreau, Leland Orser, and Daniel Stern in Very Bad Things (1998)
    Jon Favreau in Very Bad Things (1998)
    Christian Slater, Jeremy Piven, Jon Favreau, Leland Orser, and Daniel Stern in Very Bad Things (1998)
    Christian Slater, Jeremy Piven, Jon Favreau, Leland Orser, and Daniel Stern in Very Bad Things (1998)
    Christian Slater, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Leland Orser, and Daniel Stern in Very Bad Things (1998)
    Cameron Diaz in Very Bad Things (1998)
    Cameron Diaz in Very Bad Things (1998)
    Cameron Diaz, Christian Slater, Jeremy Piven, Jon Favreau, Leland Orser, and Daniel Stern in Very Bad Things (1998)
    Christian Slater, Jeremy Piven, Jon Favreau, Leland Orser, and Daniel Stern in Very Bad Things (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Christian Slater
    Christian Slater
    • Robert Boyd
    Daniel Stern
    Daniel Stern
    • Adam Berkow
    Cameron Diaz
    Cameron Diaz
    • Laura Garrety
    Jon Favreau
    Jon Favreau
    • Kyle Fisher
    Leland Orser
    Leland Orser
    • Charles Moore
    Rob Brownstein
    Rob Brownstein
    • Man
    Jeremy Piven
    Jeremy Piven
    • Michael Berkow
    Jeanne Tripplehorn
    Jeanne Tripplehorn
    • Lois Berkow
    Joey Zimmerman
    Joey Zimmerman
    • Adam Berkow Jr.
    Tyler Cole Malinger
    • Timmy Berkow
    • (as Tyler Malinger)
    Kobe Tai
    Kobe Tai
    • Tina
    • (as Carla Scott)
    Russell B. McKenzie
    • Security Guard
    Pancho Demmings
    Pancho Demmings
    • Cop
    • (as Pancho Demings)
    Blake Gibbons
    Blake Gibbons
    • Suit
    Angelo Di Mascio Jr.
    • Clerk
    Lawrence Pressman
    Lawrence Pressman
    • Mr. Fisher
    Steve Fitchpatrick
    • Cop at Hospital
    Brian Grandison
    • Doctor #1
      • Peter Berg
      • Peter Berg
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Adam Sandler was originally cast as Michael Berkow but dropped out at the last minute to make The Waterboy (1998). Jeremy Piven took the role.
    • Goofs
      Adam, as a practicing Jew, would not have called his son by the same name.
    • Quotes

      Boyd: If you take away the horror of the scene, take away the tragedy of the death, take away all the moral and ethical implications that have been drilled into your head since grade one, do you know what you're left with? A 105-pound problem that needs to be moved from point A to point B.

    • Crazy credits
      Film ends with Cameron Diaz wandering on the street
    • Alternate versions
      In 2004 the film was resubmitted in its uncut form to the German ratings board FSK and received a "Not under 16" rating.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: What Dreams May Come/A Night at the Roxbury/Snitch/Antz (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      Boogaloo in Room 802
      Written by Jon A. Hart and Melvin Lastie

      Performed by Willie Bobo

      Courtesy of Verve Records

      By arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Music

    User reviews504

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Sick...twisted...and a lot of fun!
    If you're expecting a pleasant Howard Hawks-ian comedy, you rented the wrong damn movie! So don't say I didn't warn you. Besides, the video/DVD cover shows Christian Slater holding a chainsaw. How much warning do you need? First of all, "Very Bad Things" works out better if you don't treat it as a straightforward comedy. It's basically a mix of suspense and comedy. Almost like "Fargo." Now before you jump on me, "VBT" is nowhere near as great as "Fargo," but the two films are practically equal in tone.

    At least the film contains one element that some comedies lack: the characters AREN'T acting as if they're in a comedy! When the characters panic and do foolish things, they're not contrived comic moments. People do the most absurd things when they panic.

    It's hard to explain what exactly it is that makes the film funny. You just have to watch the film. But people really, really mean it when they label this as a dark comedy. Writer/director Peter Berg tries to keep a somewhat quirky tone, though. There are some slanty camera angles and the soundtrack conflicts with the tone of each scene. Don't worry, it's done intentionally. Berg, who's known mostly as an actor in films like "Cop Land" and "The Great White Hype," makes a fine directorial debut, though there is some improper pacing.

    Finally, the actors are what make this film most worth seeing. I've always been a fan of Christian Slater, and believe him to be an underrated talent. He seems passionate about every character he plays, and spouts out every line of dialogue like it's poetry. His character is very interesting, as he seems to keep his cool in every situation, no matter how tragic or violent. Daniel Stern's another underrated talent, since he mostly does lightweight family comedies like the "Home Alone" flicks, and does a great job at playing his constantly paranoid character, who's the complete opposite of Slater's. Cameron Diaz gives a fine comic performance as the tightly-wound, hot-tempered wife of Jon Favreau. I think this is one of her most unique performances up-to-date. I think this was before she became such a sex symbol. Now fame has gone a little bit more to her head, starring in such throwaway flicks as the "Charlie's Angels" films and "The Sweetest Thing." She is in fact a very talented actress, but this movie most proves that she's more than just a pretty face. Speaking of pretty faces, Jeanne Tripplehorn also gives a fine comic performance as Stern's tightly-wound wife.

    I consider myself an admirer of dark comedies, but any type of film can fail. This one doesn't. It made me laugh and kept me in suspense. And it has a great share of profanity, violence and nudity (that Asian stripper was deliciously hot!!!). "Very Bad Things" is not for the straitlaced, or faint of heart, but for the rest of us--have fun!!!

    My score: 7 (out of 10)
    helpful•32
    12
    • MovieLuvaMatt
    • Jul 11, 2003

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 25, 1998 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Johnie's Coffee Shop - 6101 Wilshire Boulevard, Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Initial Entertainment Group (IEG)
      • Interscope Communications
      • Ballpark Productions Partnership
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 40 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital

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