Saving Silverman (2001)

A pair of buddies conspire to save their best friend from marrying the wrong woman.

Director:

Dennis Dugan

Writers:

Hank Nelken, Greg DePaul

Stars:

Jason Biggs, Steve Zahn, Jack Black

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Zahn	...	Wayne
Jack Black	...	J.D.
Jason Biggs	...	Darren
Amanda Peet	...	Judith
Amanda Detmer	...	Sandy
R. Lee Ermey	...	Coach
Neil Diamond	...	Himself
Kyle Gass	...	Bar Dude
Norman Armour	...	Minister
Colin Foo	...	Old Man
Christopher Logan	...	Vageet (as Chris Logan)
Esme Lambert	...	Raccoon Woman
Max Fomitchev	...	Mime
Tony Parsons	...	Newscaster
Brett Armstrong	...	Brett

Storyline

Two dim-witted former high school buddys and Neil Diamond fanactics, Wayne and J.D., plot to keep their friend Darren from marrying the wrong woman, a domineering and spiteful psychologist named Judith by kidnapping her and trying to set Darren up with his old high school girlfriend Sandy who plans to become a nun.

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Plot Keywords:

friend | kidnapping | fiance fiancee relationship | domineering woman | female nudity | 

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Taglines:

They swore nothing could come between them. Then she came along.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language, and thematic material

Details

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English Thai

Release Date:

9 February 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Evil Woman

Filming Locations:

Vancouver College, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,411,852, 11 February 2001

Gross USA:

$19,402,030

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$26,086,706

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 93 min (special edition) 96 min (R-rated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jason Biggs and Amanda Detmer also starred in Boys and Girls (2000)

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Goofs

When Judith is putting J.T.'s face in the toilet, in one shot he is wearing sheer black pantyhose over his face and in the next three shots he is wearing a fishnet stocking.

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Quotes

Judith: Have you ever had a girlfriend?
J.D.: Yes... No!
Judith: Have you ever fantasized about having sex with a man?
J.D.: Which man?
Judith: Any man!
J.D.: You mean like a tall man?
Judith: Sure, whatever!
J.D.: 'Cause I don't like tall people, they bother me!
Judith: What about a short man?
J.D.: How short? Some times people can be too short, that's weird like midgets!
[...]

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Crazy Credits

At the end there is a concert with Neil Diamond and all the actors and the end titles.

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Alternate Versions

R-Rated DVD/VHS release includes about 4 minutes of added footage, consisting mainly of two scenes, one in a Subway restaurant where JD is showing his trainees to his boss, and another in a laundromat where Darren and Sandy are drying their clothes after falling in the water. Also, 3 uses of the word "fuck" are added, among other dialogue, and the scene with the hookers playing ping-pong has them topless, rather than wearing the bras they had in the theatrical release.

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Connections

References Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

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Soundtracks

I Like To Move It
Written by Mark Quashie and Erick Morillo
Performed by Reel 2 Real featuring Stuntman The Mad (as The Mad Stunt Man)
Courtesy of Strictly Rhythm Records LLC

User Reviews

Come on now yaaahaaa!

Jack Black and Steve Zahn..you gotta love them.

This film is just about as stupid as you could possible imagine. The story line is puerile in the extreme. The characterisation is non-existent. The direction lacks any sense of control. And yet....and yet this is the funniest film i have seen since There's Something About Mary.

Jack Black and Steve Zahn are two of the best comedic actors in the business today. It seems to me that, precisely because of Dugan's lack of control, these two guys gave free rein to all of their improvisational instincts and they save the film from being a complete mess. They are sensational. Jack Black's constant mimicing of Neil Diamond's habit of singing "come on now yaaahaaa" when he does Holly Holy is insidious and sticks in your head long after the film has finished.

Amanda Peet and Amanda Detmer are sex on legs here. Their parts are badly written but who cares when they look this good! Even Neil Diamond shows he is a trouper by showing up for a cameo in a film that, essentially, pokes gentle fun at how uncool his stage persona is perceived to be.

This is just great ...9/10