The Onion Movie (2008) User Reviews (71)

A string of skits, loosely woven into a back plot

[emdoub · 7/10 · 5 June 2008]

Very much like _Kentucky Fried Movie_ in construction, with most of the skits presented as news stories or commercials, in a plot about a news station that's been recently taken over by a giant corporation. Some bits are funnier than others, with a few running gags that recur throughout the movie.

Don't expect the most brilliant bits from the paper to be transformed into movie bits - it's closer to one of their good issues being written into a movie, with brilliant bits, so-so bits, and annoying bits.

Sure to offend almost anyone who's looking to be offended, it's just as sure to amuse anyone who's looking to be amused. I've seen far worse entertainment this year.

Very Entertaining and Great Fun

[jshelm · 7/10 · 26 July 2008]

This film was a great deal of fun to watch, however the humor is not for everyone. I have been a fan of "The Onion" website for years and find the content (on the web) varies considerably in quality and is to some extent,a function of the mood you are in at the time. I would characterize this film as falling into the same category, i.e. gut busting humor that will leave you crying and other bits that fall flat. This shows the difficulty in translating a great website with really good satirical content to film. Some of the humor is very caustic and biting satire and requires you to be fairly open minded; there are some excellent pokes at politics, PC behavior, global conflicts and popular culture that are in the news today. I really enjoyed this film and would not recommend it for those under the age of 16.

No story yet still very funny.

[timb75 · 7/10 · 1 June 2008]

This movie isn't so much a movie as it is a collection of skits. There is no real story what so ever. That being said viewers who enjoy plot and a rich story may not enjoy this movie. That aside this is a very funny movie. I found myself laughing quite a bit. The skits aren't over the top silly or cheesy but more stereotypical humor playing on pop-culture. It's basically a spoof of the evening news. If you enjoy movies like "Scary Movie" or "Anchorman" and TV programing such as "MADtv", satirical news shows such as "The Colbert Report" and "The Daily Show (with Jon Stewart)". Chances are you will really enjoy this movie. Don't be fooled by my vote of 7. For what it's worth it was a great film.

Nothing in comparison to the onion.com

[eastendthug · 6/10 · 2 June 2008]

I am a huge fan of satire sites such as onion.com, daily mash.co.UK and news biscuit.com etc, however the movie never quite succeeds in its level of humour as its website does, granted there are some great laugh out loud moments but there are a few too many sketches that run for a tad too long.

It is unfair to criticize some of the movies sketches as being dated as the movie was produced over 5 years ago then shelved, I'm pretty sure due to fan demand that they decided to release it.

If your a fan of the website be sure to check it out but don't get your hopes up, the viral videos on the website are much better and better paced.

i give this 6 out of 10

Ultimately disappointing

[DarthPaul85 · 6/10 · 9 September 2008]

I had no expectations for the quality of this movie, and I was really taken all over the place.

The movie starts out GREAT! It really felt like a movie version of the onion articles and stories. I was thinking this would be the greatest skit-based movie since Kentucky Fried Movie...

...and then it just lost it. Almost in the blink of an eye, the movie goes from witty, satirical, and spot-on to low-brow, off color, and completely underwritten. It's almost as if two very different writers were at work here.

If this movie had been condensed to just the good skits and articles, I would've given it an 8 or 9. However, the amount of uninspired unfunny material present in the second half of the film really brings it down.

Still a hell of a lot better than the "Epic Movie" series.

I like my onions grilled, not raw

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 6/10 · 10 June 2008]

I saw the trailer for The Onion Movie on a DVD recently and I couldn't help but stop laughing, so I knew that I wanted to see this movie. I rented the movie and watched it yesterday and I don't know, I'm just getting mixed feelings about this film. Just it reminded me so much of Kentucky Fried Movie, not to mention that the film at the end, I just felt like it didn't make much sense. But strangely enough, these skits were good enough to where they'd be great on Saturday Night Live or Mad TV, just putting them into a random 80 minute movie threw me off quite a bit. Some things were a little odd, some things were random, some things were unfunny, and some things were just friggin' hilarious. I did love Norm Archer though, he was just so funny and I felt so much for his character when he saw a dancing penguin on the desk, well, you'll see what I mean.

Norm Archer is a news anchor for the Onion News, a very off beat news program that reports on: neck seat belts, Margo Cherry, the virgin sexy singer, stereotypical movie critics, neck belts for cars, geeks, missing good black socks, terrorists, a working armed gunman, and much more, including the new hit movie, well, I don't know if I could say the title, again, something you'll have to see for yourself. But Norm begins to question who he's working for and how strange it is.

The Onion Movie has it's moments, I mean, don't get me wrong, as random as it is, it has some great gags. I loved Margo Cherry, the whole interview, we of course know they're making fun of Britney Spears, only I think it was more blunt. But this was over all a silly clever movie, just how it was put together, it's more of a Saturday Night Live skit vs. an actual movie. But I would recommend this if you need a few laughs, as a movie, it's below average, as for the skits, it makes it more worth your while.

6/10

Big fan of the Onion, but this movie just isn't very good

[jwb3333 · 3/10 · 4 June 2008]

I bought this without really hearing anything about it. And why not - I'm a huge fan of The Onion, own all the books, etc. I just love their witty, overly-sarcastic take on everyday life.

However, sometimes what's funny in print doesn't necessarily translate well to video. And in the case of this (circa 2003) movie, none of it does. In short, it's simply not funny - in fact, it's almost painful in its stupidity.

If you need a video onion fix, check out the Onion news network on their site - at least that has its moments (they've obviously learned how to do it a lot better since this movie). But if you are expecting the same sharp, smart humor of the website, you will not find it in this movie. Save your money.

American Humo(u)r.

[rainybeetle · 10/10 · 15 June 2008]

I have just watched this movie and it was one of the funniest films I have ever seen. I believe this film got bad reviews in America. It has often been said that the UK doesn't understand the US humour and vice versa. I would just like to point out that this movie has hit the spot where UK humour is. This is a seriously great movie and if it was marketed well in the UK it would be a triumph. Well done ONION.

We gave you 'The Office' and you are finally understanding that kind of understated comedy. The Onion Movie has made me more determined to look out for more American comedy like this.

Never mind what all those stuffy critics say (as parodied)... this is a great watch.

The Onion Movie

[chains01 · 6/10 · 22 October 2009]

A lot of people are familiar with The Onion News. The Onion News is a news service that parodies modern news right down to the Horoscopes. Spoofing modern news with spoof news filled with humor and scatological references, The Onion News has been offering a scathing satire on the modern news experience for years. In 2003, they opted to make a movie filled with the same satire of the modern world you'd find in the newspapers. Apparently, though, due to poor test screenings the movie was shelved and finally released on DVD in 2008 rather than theatrically. So how does it stack up? The Onion Movie is mainly a group of skits, working as news stories, commercials, movie spots, etc. Behind the skits there's a working TV news report: The Onion News "The World's Greatest News Source". The Onion News has just been bought out by a global conglomerate who requires the news to plug their movies on the air. News anchor, Norm Archer, thinks this compromises the integrity of the news, and this leads to an interesting, and funny, confrontation at the end of the movie.

The Onion Movie is a really funny movie with a few unfortunate down spots. It does a fairly good job of mixing the politically incorrect (Little Known Racial Stereotypes, Terrorist Training Video, etc.), with satire of celebrities (Melissa Cherry, a Britney Spears knock off who sings songs like: "Take Me From Behind," and lyrics like, "So, let me give you some affection - just below your waist" which are apparently just about friendship because she's a virgin), and satire of society (News report: "The internet went down for three hours this morning, plunging the nation into productivity. The outage, which caused major work startages from New York to California, prevented an estimated 120 million American employees from messing around on the web at work"). Also, there are some funny cameos including a spoof commercial hosted by Michael Bolton for a children's charity organization, but the best is Steven Segal as the Cockpuncher.

While those skits work very well, and the majority of the rest do, some skits fall flat on their face. Skits like the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast spoof and the majority of a skit dealing with teenagers playing D&D are just not funny. Also the plot, while inherently harmless and flimsy, adds quite a few deadspots to the movie taking away from the fun of many of the skits.

The Onion Movie is definitely worth a watch though. While not as funny as I hoped it was funnier than I expected. Naturally, for those of you who know of The Onion, know to expect nudity and cursing, so this is not a movie to watch with your kids. Check it out, and hope you enjoy!

Good for a few chuckles, but nothing absolutely spectacular.

[MidnightWarrior · 3/10 · 27 July 2008]

The only reason why I decided to see this movie was because the trailer showed a)Steven Segal in Cockpuncher and b)Sarah McElligott as Melissa Cherry.

Even though both segments were pretty funny and Segal does a great job, the real highlight of the onion movie is Sarah McElligott. She looks stunning on camera in her revealing outfits and in all of her explicit body movements (though she's clothed). The parody songs and her denial of all the sexual innuendo in the music and videos is all too real and just too funny.

I'll admit, there were other times in the film when I chuckled, but found myself finding something offensive after the joke was over. There's enough satire and humor that probably will offend just about everyone and anyone. And then there are times when the filmmakers try too hard to drive a point across.

All in all, this isn't a date movie. This is a movie to watch when you're bored, you want to watch a movie but really don't want to get involved in a movie.

Segal gets one star and Sarah McElligott gets the other two. If it was more of her and all her sexual innuendos, then my rating of this film (among other things) would have gone up.

you ain't got the balls...

[video_game_lover_122 · 10/10 · 30 May 2008]

the onion movie. 90 minutes of pure news based on satire, and fake news. how is 90 minutes used to keep you focused and entertained? very cleverly, and that is what the onion movie did. What this movie does that makes it so great, it sticks to what it says it's going to do; It keeps you entertained and to be laughed at, including pushing the rating(which if you get the unrated, it's better), but it has all of your typical humor about blacks, Irish, nerds, sex, etc. but not overly used, which a lot of comedies use as a crutch. As this movie progresses you will eventually see a preview of the "infamous" Steven segall, as "cockpuncher" which is used through out the movie. it's cheesy, and funny without being over the top. The news is actually something to take into an effect as something that could be used today. that is fake news at it's peak. this movie is what it says it is going to be. so when/if you get a chance, rent this movie, sit back, laugh your face off, and enjoy 90 minutes of pure unadulterated humor. 5/5-go pick up this movie.. or at least rent it.

So odd that it was actually enjoyable...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 23 November 2019]

Now "The Onion Movie" is somewhat of a baffling movie experience. It is odd in the terms that there is no coherency to the movie as it trots along; yeah, there isn't a real story to be followed as you sit through this movie. So calling it a "movie" is somewhat of a farce in itself.

But still, the 2008 "The Onion Movie" from writers Todd Hanson and Robert Siegel actually turned out to be rather entertaining and enjoyable. This isn't a comedy that will make you cry tears of laughter, but it is funny enough and making some really great satirical jabs at the world, the situation of society and the stupidity of humankind.

Directors Tom Kuntz and Mike Maguire actually managed to take a whole bunch of random sketches and make it fell like a unified wholesome. Some of the sketches throughout the course of this "movie" was actually more enjoyable than others, which is natural when putting an assortment of sketches together.

It was impressive with the array of cast performers that they actually got to make an appearance in this movie. It was some of the best things about the movie, with the likes of Steven Seagal, Michael Bolton, Daniel Dae Kim, Brendan Fletcher, Rodney Dangerfield and Meredith Baxter.

While this movie didn't really make me laugh, it managed to make me in a good mood and put a smile on my lips. I enjoyed watching the hilarious spoofs on world situations and the interactions of mankind.

I think "The Onion Movie" is hardly as movie that will be appealing to just everybody, as it does take a certain kind of humor to appreciate the sketches here. But I did enjoy it, and I am rating "The Onion Movie" a well-deserving six out of ten stars.

Offensive, unoriginal, and hugely disappointing.

[ctdudeuk · 1/10 · 1 June 2008]

This movie sat on the shelf for 3 years, and having seen it tonight, I can clearly see why.

I've been a fan of The Onion in print for several years, and having seen the very promising trailer for this movie, expected an enjoyable, sharp movie. Instead, The Onion movie is an endless stream of p**s-poor Monty Python wannabe sketches where the aim is to be as offensive, unoriginal, obvious and mean-spirited as possible.

While The Onion is without a doubt, edgy and challenging in its magazine form, it is rarely, if ever out-and-out offensive. If re-enacting gun crimes and rape is your idea of humor, I suggest you track down a victim of either and see if they enjoy sharing the 'laughs'. Two thirds of the way through, my girlfriend literally asked that I shut off this movie in tears. I gladly obliged.

This is smug, insensitive college-boy humor at its worst, and whats more, it is woefully unoriginal and outdated. For instance, in one sketch Al Queda style terrorists repeatedly blow themselves up for comic effect. Even if this movie had hit the scene in 2005, that 'idea' had already been done to death. Another sketch lampoons Britney Spears. Circa 'Baby One More Time'. Great job guys, only about a decade out of date there.

Other 'cutting edge' material (much of which I noticed was recycled from the in-print edition') includes an unbearably smug self-referential movie critique, and predictable arch-racist jokes, delivered with a wink and a nudge that only someone who hasn't hit a comedy club in the last decade would be remotely amused by.

More punchlines fall flat here than actually connect. An arch Asian stereotype joke actually ends with "Me no rikey". Pathetic.

Oddly enough, The Onion now has a free video pod-cast that follows much the same format as this movie, that actually manages to be funny without being constantly offensive, predictable and profane. I suggest fans check that out instead and leave 'The Onion Movie' on the shelf where it rightfully remained for 3 blissful years.

I wish I hadn't watched this. Still, I can hear the smug college-boys lining up to tell me I'm over-sensitive for not seeing the funny side of brutal rape.

The punchline of the rape gag, by the way, is that the girl re-enacting the attack flinches, but 'shouldn't be able to move because the perpetrator shattered her pelvis with a baseball bat'.

If thats your idea of humor, you'll love this movie. If on the other hand, you have an ounce of sensitivity, avoid at all costs.

Has some good laughs but never convinced me that it suited or deserved to be a film

[bob the moo · 2 July 2008]

The Onion network is famous for the impartial nature of its news coverage as well as the quality of its delivery and journalists. Anchorman Norm Archer in particular prides himself on keeping the standard high and serving Americans the real stories without dumbing down. However when the network is purchased by a new parent company (who have a major new Steven Seagal film to promote) and Archer starts to notice significant slippage in his beloved network.

The name "The Onion" was enough to attract me to this film given that I frequently dip into the satirical newspaper for a few easy chuckles; however even as I was pressing play I wondered how a newspaper can be adapted into a film – maybe a TV show in the mould of "The Day Today" or "The Daily Show" but a film? Well the answer to my wonderings turns out to be "not that well" because The Onion Movie is a mess of hits and misses that works when it hits but rapidly annoys when it is missing. It will depend on sense of humour but it is undeniable that there are misses in a film that is essentially a sketch show with a bit of a plot that satirises the commercial nature of news networks. You can see the intelligence behind it but yet it doesn't really work as well as it should. The fragmented nature of it prevents a flow but this wouldn't matter one bit if the laughs were consistent.

Sadly this doesn't happen. There are some really great moments that had me laughing out loud but there are also plenty of sketches that either just don't work or simply extend the joke for much longer than it can actually sustain or, in the case of the film's ending, both. Fans of this style of humour will just about find enough to make it worth watching but even I (who does) found parts of it to just be poor. The cast are hard to judge in strict acting terms but mostly they work well to support the material, which is what counts. As with his recent Orange cinema adverts, Seagal is better at spoofing his career than he is at making proper films and he is enjoyable (even if this is one joke really over-extended).

I can understand why the Onion Movie sat in release limbo for so long because it never really convinced me that it suited or deserved to be a film. The sketches throw up as many hits as misses – which will suffice for some but was not good enough for me even if it did produce a handful of good laughs. Worth a look for Onion fans but not good enough to tickle a mass audience.

Offending the masses at its best in recent memory...

[SLVSteve · 6/10 · 31 May 2008]

I very rarely write about films like this and have had little chance to discuss them on my radio segment reviewing films - but I had to give this film some time (as it has apparently languished for a few years in non-release hell). This film in itself lampoons part of what I do (film critique) - and I have to say they hit it perfectly - best portrayal of film critics I have seen in years (that of pretentious and idiotic snobs with sleepy stage backgrounds).

The highlights: Kip Kendal's portrayals, Cockpuncher and the Britney parodies. The down-side: half of the skits that portrayed old news elements, the Santa Cruz segment ( I am from SC, and they could have at least filmed it here; plus they could have lampooned this freakish County so much better), skits that dragged on too long, and the deleted scenes not being left in the film.

Most everyone who follows the O site or loves harsh satire will watch this film anyway - but for those wondering or (maybe sitting on the fence) regarding their precious time on this style humor - I would say give it a watch; fast forward at times will ease the pain of what would seem a waste of celluloid, but the laugh out loud moments make for an intellectual eye-candy fest that exceeds all of the last parody films by a landslide.

Please enjoy the comedy for Steven Seagal (as scary as that sounds) - he makes the film with his Cockpuncher routines - exceeds any self-lampooning media I have ever seen. Being a Bay Area film critic - I most noticeable saw our main actor as Buck Helm 15 years ago (the Cypress rescue on 880) - Len Cariou is a class act and he pulls the film past being par and into believable - nice work; if you follow his titles - this is his best. You will get bored at times, and you will laugh out loud at least twice or more, but I think this will offend just enough people to make the boards here buzz for at least a few weeks.

Has held up well IMO

[logicology · 7/10 · 10 July 2022]

It was made in 2004 ... but apparently was released in 2008. Not sure what is up with that. What bothers me is I don't think it could be made today, and that is a worrisome commentary on the trajectory of our culture. In order to cater to extremists, we have basically outlawed comedy in the USA. But for one brief shining moment we could make movies like Blazing Saddles, Animal House and Tropic Thunder. Alas, we are now everything we used to correctly hate.

An excuse to read out and visualise The Onion headlines?

[mattkerr-73017 · 6/10 · 27 April 2018]

A late addition to the now all-but-dead anthology comedy? A spoof commentary on the creeping corporate influence on American media? A massive middle finger to the audience?

Pretty much all of the above.

What?

[djkornfeld · 2/10 · 3 June 2008]

If you love the Onion you'll hate this movie. For that matter, if you hate The Onion you'll hate this movie. Its dreadful. No wonder it didn't get distribution. Did anyone who has anything to do with the actual Onion have anything to do with this movie? If so, its probably their summer interns or something. None of the brilliant wit and social commentary is in this boring piece of garbage. This format in general is pretty flawed. I can't think of any sketch feature films that really is able to maintain an audience with out having a running story line through out. There is a small attempt made for one. The anchor is upset that the network is going corporate. Of course every network news is owned by a corporation, but I get its a movie. Still it goes nowhere and I literally laughed once the whole time and that was probably a forced one just to not feel like I had entirely wasted an hour and a half of my life.

Monty Python, American Style

[scoochie9 · 9/10 · 26 June 2008]

This movie possesses that rarest of combinations: utter brilliance and unbridled stupidity. Obviously, nothing can compare to Monty Python's Flying Circus, but The Onion Movie's creators were plainly big fans of that show, and succeeded in delivering "something completely different".

While this movie is chock full of current-societal satire (which Python never was), it uses the clever segues to new scenes, the reappearance of characters you'd just about forgotten, and the absolute Absurdity (it has to be capitalized!) that those wonderful Brits mastered decades ago.

The Onion Movie is not a regular movie. If you insist on plot, and/or are easily offended, this movie is not for you. But if you're in the mood for laughing about cultural stereotypes, or people with enough humor to parody themselves (you rock Steven Seagal!), or just enjoying the ride through countless ridiculously silly situations (God bless you, Armed Gunman), you might want to take a peek at The Onion Movie.

Do you have the balls?

It's funny

[Horror-yo · 7/10 · 22 May 2016]

Not much should be said or time spent on reviewing such a thing. The Onion News is a thing online, and they made a film about it. The plot is basically that 'Norm' plays the traditional old school news anchor and is unhappy what his network is turning into, and then there's this whole development at the end and stuff, but none of that is actually important. What's actually significant, if at all ! - is the silly, even stupid but funny humor on display. They'll make fun of all sorts of clichés from today's world, from your Britney Spears type pop singer to those cheesy kungfu films, to ads or news stories, society... it's all there as you'd imagine it, and it's fun. For a first viewing at least, it makes for an unpredictable, dynamic and diverse experience in random and completely unadulterated humor. You should find at least some of it funny, if not, as most people I'd imagine, all of it fairly entertaining. I wouldn't call it 'bad' by any stretch, but it's no comedy gold either. Humor is one of these very subjective things: give it a try, watch the first few sketches.

A cock punch would have felt better

[rlappling · 1/10 · 31 May 2008]

This is undoubtedly the worst excuse for a movie that I have seen. The movie is simply a series of tasteless sketches strung together loosely. It tries to be along the same lines as Kentucky Fried Movie and Not Necessarily The News and fails miserably. The jokes fell flat with each segment and still the movie continued. This was really painful to watch and I can't with good conscious recommend this disaster even with the worst of intentions.

Save yourself the embarrassment of watching this. This is not a guilty pleasure, just guilty of bad film-making. As such, I think a 1 out of 10 is overly generous.

Must have been written just for me

[teezeCrost · 10/10 · 23 June 2008]

There are very few movies that can actually blindside me with a punchline. The Onion Movie did that repeatedly. The plot is very light, and this makes the movie even more enjoyable, I think. But not only is it light, it's also very relevant and critical of the common practices of mass media now-a-days. This movie pulls off a lot of what idiocracy only kind-of succeeded at. From the Hasselhoff bit to the mid-show Asian review to the d&d sketch, the Onion Movie is a rare breath of fresh air!

I won't include a url, but there's a pretty funny audio review on the hotcakes podcast (episode 9) if anyone cares to search it out.

Predictably hilarious satirical malarkey

[NateWatchesCoolMovies · 7/10 · 28 May 2016]

That's right, the Onion News Network made a movie, back in 2008, and it's every bit as irreverent, satirical and wantonly bizarre as you would imagine. They have been comically killing it for years with their online platform, and the film is a nice extension of that. It's episodic, meandering and devoid of plot, made up of many little sketches and vignettes, some gut bustingly funny, others just plain odd. I have three favourites which pretty much sum up their inane, Monty Python type shtick: An out of work actor named Bryce Brand (Nick Chinlund is priceless I just a few minutes of screen time) arrives back home from drug rehab and is hounded by his agent to nab new scripts. He promptly falls into a weird new addiction that gets slapped sillily onto the headlines, thus ending his arc with deranged efficiency. Steven Seagal shows up as a fat slob of an action hero aptly named 'The Cock Puncher', a lumbering buffoon who punches people in the cock, naturally. The third, and funniest sequence features a riff on the celebrity roasts of the 60's, with some kind of amazing group of crusty old crooners hurling stinging and incredibly raunchy insults at each other with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. It's tough explain just how funny that bit is in a review, but suffice to say it had me roaring as loud as the obscene bunch of wrinkled baboons in the in the skit. There's a plethora of other sequences which I've since gotten hazy about, but I remember many other instances of pure hilarity to be had. Watch for further celebrity appearances including Eric Stolhanske, Michael Bolton, Richard Fancy, Daniel Dae Kim, Brendan Fletcher, Rodney Dangerfield, Joel McHale and more. Side splitting stuff, if you're into this type of humour.

We need number 0, seriously

[dlekic · 1/10 · 2 August 2008]

I wanted to spend my Saturday night relaxing, and watching some decent comedy. A friend suggested "The Onion Movie", so I got it, pressed play, and right after few seconds of watching I already know this is going to be a major disaster. But, I was a brave man, and I continued, dedicated to test myself and see for how long I could watch this crap before I pressed the contingency button "stop". Believe it or not, I did not - I was amazed by the amount of crap Hollywood can come with in hope they will make something funny... It is impossible to describe in words. You must see this film just to understand how desperate USA film industry is, how fake, and stereotype. Unfortunately, I cannot give it a DESERVED ZERO, but ONE would do because there were few enjoyable seconds.

My advice: NEVER suggest this film to a friend, because You might lose her/him!

Seriously don't bother!

[johnblack23 · 20 October 2008]

Hmmmm... About as funny as getting getting your balls cut off.

Crass - Check. Unoriginal - Check. Racist - Check. Waste of time - Check.

This movie missed the boat by about 20 years; definitely circa late 80's 'comedy' - and I use this word in the broadest sense of the definition...

I think if you smoked about 1lb of grass, severed your brain stem and had a lobotomy you may just manage to laugh... Once.

Come to think of it, the people who voted this movie's score so high were definitely suffering from the above mental afflictions.

How this got over 1 in IMDb defies logic...

Is there anyway to get a reclaim the memory and time I lost watching this abortion of a movie?