BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
“Vamps” is a horror comedy. There are a lot of vampire movies out there and on the flipside there are plenty of vampire jokes and parodies out there. The twist here is that it’s a female comedy. The director of Clueless, Amy Heckerling again works with Alicia Silverstone. Silverstone co-stars with the awesome Krysten Ritter as two socialite vampires living in New York. They’re living a modern city woman type of life style. Its borderline “Sex in the City” meets “Clueless”. They discover that if their maker, Sigourney Weaver is killed they would revert back to being humans. There is more to it than that, but going anymore into the plot would only spoil the fun. And yes, there IS fun. On the surface you’d think this was a cheap, low rent superficial vampire comedy. Even by watching the first ten or so minutes you feel like it’s a bit too hokey. Before you know it, you’re sucked into the movie. It reminds me a lot like “Clueless” in that respect. The two leads were awesome. It was a little jarring to see Ritter play someone “happy” and “bubbly”, but she pulled it off. Alicia Silverstone was beautiful and great in this movie. She carries the movie well and I think her and director Amy Heckerling need a third project together to perfect this nice trifecta of work. The supporting roles are handled very nicely. Justin Kirk is hilarious, Wallace Shawn is fun as ever, and Malcolm McDowell puts a hilarious twist on “Van Helsing”. The stand out in the supporting cast is definitely Richard Lewis. I’ve grown to be a fan of his comedy and his work on “Curb”, but this might be the best and most endearing I’ve ever seen the guy. A jaded or even wise mind would think this movie would be horrible fluff, but no. It has some substance, some great performances, and a fun story. I didn’t go into this movie expecting too much, but I’m glad I watched it. It won’t blow anyone’s mind or make any “Top 10” lists, but it’s a great movie to check out on a cozy Sunday morning. If you like “Clueless”, vampire comedy, and just a good off-kilter comedy then this are a movie you should check this charming movie out. B
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