Jenny McCarthy is most effective in short comic parts that turn her polished image into something foolish. We appreciate her lack of vanity, though the writing too often leaves her with little beyond the joke about her looks.
Fi1m perspective
The opening of Scary Movie 3 (2003) puts Jenny McCarthy beside Pamela Anderson in a parody of The Ring. McCarthy’s part as Kate also plays on her earlier appearance in Scream 3 (2000), making recognition part of the joke. She is willing to look foolish, a useful quality when so much of the casting depends on a polished model image. We rate her as an effective comic presence in small doses, although these films rarely give that willingness enough good writing.
She came to those films after hosting Singled Out (1995–1997) and playing Yvette Denslow in BASEketball (1998). In Wes Craven’s Scream 3, Sarah Darling is a world-weary actress working on Stab 3, the film within the film. She wants respect from a business that is not offering it, which gives McCarthy something more specific to play than a familiar face in a sequel. That professional frustration is worth more to her performance than another opportunity to look ridiculous.
Neither film earns a recommendation from us, and their shortcomings put a limit on what we can claim for these appearances. Craven’s Hollywood setting supplies a better joke than Ehren Kruger’s script supplies scares, with Parker Posey doing the funniest work. We were disappointed by Scream 3: the threatening phone calls no longer made us uneasy. David Zucker’s Scary Movie 3 has some skilful slapstick, but its quick pace cannot conceal how often the jokes fail. McCarthy’s broad approach fits the material without doing much to rescue it.
Dirty Love (2005), which she wrote, produced and starred in under John Asher’s direction, gave her more responsibility for the material. Her commitment to gross-out comedy was clear, but the weak screenplay exposed the limits of relying on her willingness to embarrass herself. A supporting role as Lori in John Tucker Must Die (2006) followed. We would want a stronger script before following her into another starring comedy.
Biography
Jenny McCarthy is an American actress and comedian. She began her career as a model, appearing as Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for October 1993 and Playmate of the Year in 1994, before transitioning to television and film acting.
Her film roles include Sarah Darling in Scream 3 (2000) and Kate in Scary Movie 3 (2003). She has also appeared in John Tucker Must Die (2006) and television series including Two and a Half Men, Charmed and Home Improvement. McCarthy is married to actor Donnie Wahlberg and is a cousin of actress Melissa McCarthy.
