All Rise...

Judge David Johnson went to Toledo for Spring Break. Not the party central he was expecting.

The Charge

Carmen Electra is in this movie.

Opening Statement

That's the main takeaway, if you were to offer just a passing glance at the DVD cover: Carmen Electra is the star and there is a small chance she may indeed reveal her breasts.

Facts of the Case

Carmen may be in this movie, but her role is essentially cameo-level. The main characters are cool guy Scottie (Nicholas D'agosto, Dirty Girl), fat idiot Lump (Josh Gad, Broadway's The Book of Mormon), and hapless virgin Scott (Bret Harrison, Reaper). Determined to leave college with some awesome, drunken stories, these friends travel to New Orleans to soak in the Mardi Gras insanity. Breasts, poop, and dick jokes ensue.

The Evidence

And, yes, eventually Carmen Electra does show up and wander around in her underwear for a bit. But featuring her so prominently in the marketing does Mardi Gras Spring Break a disservice. It feels like the powers-that-be are working hard to sell their production with a gimmick, when this is actually a surprisingly funny R-rated comedy.

Now, the preface needs to be said: this is only for viewers who dig the gross-out, hard-R, Hangover type of comedy. Breasts, excrement, banana penetration, and even a sporadic wiener shot are draped throughout. These guys seize on the R (or rather Unrated) rating and ensure you're getting more offensive, ridiculous, over-the-top crap than you can shake a stick at.

Speaking of which, there is a scene where Bret Harrison takes a giant dump in Carmen Electra's toilet. But because the flushing mechanism is broken (of course), he bare-hands his deposit, cradles it in a towel, hides it in the tub, and eventually ends up in the hallway, heaving the turd into a ceiling fan, spraying everyone with poop. God help me…I laughed.

That's what effective movies like this can do to relatively mature grown-ups…turn them into sputtering middle-schoolers who laugh at their own farts. I am so ashamed.

The DVD: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, 5.1 Dolby surround, and no extras.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

A higher-than-average number of laughs doesn't outweigh a pedestrian plot. But, we do get poop in a ceiling fan, so who cares?

Closing Statement

For what it is, Mardi Gras Spring Break succeeds: it's funny and eager to earn its lack of rating.

The Verdict

Not Guilty. I am ashamed.

Give us your feedback!

Did we give Mardi Gras Spring Break a fair trial? yes / no

What's "fair"? Whether positive or negative, our reviews should be unbiased, informative, and critique the material on its own merits.

Share This Review

Follow DVD Verdict

Other Reviews You Might Enjoy

• The Vice Academy Collection
• National Lampoon's Vacation: Special Edition
• Funny Money
• Legally Blonde Platinum Collection