What an appropriate title... Very Bad Things. Nothing else could appropriately sum up my thoughts after watching this movie again. The last time I watched the film was shortly after it was released in 1998, and I had less than fond memories of watching it then. Yet times have changed, and I will admit, in the last 10 years my taste in film has changed. Perhaps not dramatically, but I certainly do enjoy films that I may not have enjoyed at that time.

So, I gave Very Bad Things another chance... and, I'm sorry to admit, I regret that decision, perhaps more than any film-related decision in recent memory (With the obvious exception of letting a friend talk me into paying money to see The Love Guru). Very Bad Things is a terrible movie... Terrible. The characters are far more irritating than they are sympathetic, and as such we are always kept at a distance, never really being able to identify with anyone onscreen. The plot is very simple, and could have potentially lent itself to a worthwhile comedy, yet falls surprisingly flat. Nearly everything about this film is a tremendous failure.

As mentioned, the concept has potential. A bachelor party in Las Vegas goes terribly wrong when a stripper is accidentally killed. The group of friends involved bury the body, but have to deal with the guilt, and anger toward each other as the groom's wedding approaches. If the film were a drama or thriller, there would be obvious opportunities to develop tension. The film is however, a comedy, and while there is still obvious potential to develop some darkly comic scenarios derived from the original premise, this is never really capitalized on.

The most significant problem with Very Bad Things is, as mentioned, the fact that every character is so far beyond being annoying that it is completely impossible to develop any sort of sympathy for, or even connectivity with the characters. They are so irritating that the audience can't help but distance themselves from the proceedings. And, as we all know, when the plot is relatively thin, the script must rely on the characters to both further the story, and provide the comedy... unfortunately neither works in the case of Very Bad Things.

It's too bad, because the cast is made up of actors which, for the most part I have a lot of respect for. Christian Slater can do no wrong in my eyes (except for Very Bad Things), despite some less than fantastic creative decisions in the last ten years. Jon Favreau is always enjoyable (once again, except in Very Bad Things) and Jeremy Piven is a god to anyone who watches HBO's 'Entourage' on a weekly basis. These are all good casting decisions. Cameron Diaz is appropriately cast as the wife-to-be opposite Jon Favreau, and is her usual irritating self, especially when the film reaches it's over the top and “we're so clever and ironic” ending that still somehow seems dramatically out of place. It hurts me (right in my heart) to watch these actors (except Diaz) humiliating themselves with a film that is so obviously below them on every level.

The comedy itself, when it works, is kind of funny, but it so rarely hits the mark that it's just aggravating to watch. Too bad, because Very Bad Things could have potentially been one of the darkest comedies ever made. Every plot turn; every laugh; and every miniscule character development comes from some incredibly bleak circumstance. From the establishing scenario in which the stripper is killed, to the group's obligatory clean-up of the resulting mess, to an appropriately twisted climax... It's a damn shame nearly every one of these cues misses the mark... by a long shot.