Serving Sara (2002)

A process server tries to serve an elusive female target.

Director:

Reginald Hudlin

Writers:

Jay Scherick, David Ronn

Stars:

Matthew Perry, Elizabeth Hurley, Bruce Campbell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Perry	...	Joe Tyler
Elizabeth Hurley	...	Sara Moore
Vincent Pastore	...	Tony
Bruce Campbell	...	Gordon Moore
Cedric the Entertainer	...	Ray Harris
Amy Adams	...	Kate
Terry Crews	...	Vernon
Jerry Stiller	...	Milton the Cop
Marshall Bell	...	Warren Cebron
Derek Southers	...	Bouncer
Alan Ackles	...	Man in Elevator (scenes deleted)
Robin McGee	...	Jimmy the Elevator Operator
Brent Duncan	...	Blackjack Dealer
Eli Jacques	...	Woman at Blackjack Table
John Wayne Shafer	...	Pit Boss

Storyline

A process server, Joe Tyler (played by Matthew Perry) is given the task of serving divorce papers on Sara Moore (Elizabeth Hurley), the wife of of a wealthy Texas businessman. To do so he needs to contend with her attempts at evasion and the attempts of a colleague to undermine him.

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Plot Keywords:

process server | divorce papers | divorce | nipples visible through clothing | scantily clad female | 

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Taglines:

The One Thing That Could Bring Them Together Is Revenge.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for crude humor, sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount [United States]

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

23 August 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Flipping the Mark

Filming Locations:

Arlington, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$29,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,758,236, 25 August 2002, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$16,930,185, 1 December 2002

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,146,150

Company Credits

Production Co:

FTM Productions, Halsted Pictures, Illusion Entertainment

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Joe Tyler is trying to serve Gordon Moore, in the arena and the camera is focussing on the table's clock (at 7:00), we can see "fair play" written on the table, which is ironic given the context.

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Goofs

Joe's weight changes throughout the movie, as can be seen by the size of his neck. Matthew Perry's weight change was due to his drug addiction that occurred while filming (see Trivia).

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Quotes

Gordon Moore: This better get done, or I'm gonna hang your ass out to dry, you understand?
[hangs up phone]
Ray Harris: [mocking Gordon] 'This better get done, or else I'll hang your ass out to dry'. Jesus! A redneck telling a black man he gonna hang him! That's the new millennium.
[yells out into the hall]
Ray Harris: Page Tony! And get Farrakhan and 'em on the phone... I think they might want a trip down there!

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Connections

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

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Soundtracks

Christmas Time Is Here
Written and Performed by Peter Worden
Courtesy of Marc Ferrari/Mastersource

User Reviews

Meh...

This is one of those comedies your mother brings home thinking it

might be "cute funny"; you know: no boobies, not much swearing,

little to no violence, and written in a way that everyone gets the

jokes.................and she'd be right.



Matthew Perry does his best NOT to be Chandler Bing in his role

as cynical process server Joe Tyler, and walks a fine line between

success and reliance on his old character traits. He swears, lies,

doesn't shave and wears a leather jacket, but every now and again

slips back into a motion or facial expression that is the essence of

Chandler Bing. Oh well, he's still the best performer in the film.

Liz Hurley, as a supposedly devoted wife, oblivious to her

husband's extramarital affair and suddenly served with divorce

papers, shows all of the emotion of canned tuna. Let's face it, she

is merely 'eye-candy' in the picture. And Cedric The Entertainer is

appallingly one-dimensional and insipid in his role as Tyler's boss

(he delivers lines like an urban Henny Youngman, for pete's

sake!).



The real problems here are dialogue and comic timing though.

Every line (especially those given to/ by Perry) come across as so

completely scripted and placed within the conversations that all

the comedy of the actual words seem forced, and resultingly not

humourous at all. The dialogue also suffers from both not wanting

to step on the other characters lines, and in needing to spoon-feed

the storyline so completely to the viewer (which makes one feel

about 3 years old by movie's end). Then there is the 'tear-jerking'

story behind why Tyler does this for a living, and the horribly forced

romance between Perry and Hurley's characters to add to the

growing miasma of distaste in your mouth.



I never laughed once. My family chuckled here and there. And in

the end, as the credits rolled, my mother chimed in, "That was

pretty good." Our home theatre remained silent in response.



5/10. Not terrible, but nothing I'd watch again or recommend in

good conscience.