Chris (Ken Jeong; The Hangover) is a mediocre nightclub owner with a fiancé, Ann (Jennifer Ikeda; Blindspot) and no money. He and his friends get together annually to bet on which celebrity they think will die first. After 16 years the pot is up to over half a million dollars and Chris has bet on David Hasselhoff (Baywatch). Chris also was promised by David's Manager, Barry (Jon Lovitz; Big) that David would come to his nightclub after his concert which would give the establishment a much-needed boost.
However, David flakes and changes his mind, then Chris is accused of doing cocaine and groping an underage starlet in his club causing his fiancé to dump him and then the nightclub burns down. Adding insult to injury, Chris owes some shady guy $400,000 and the guy wants to get paid. With nothing left to lose Chris decides to kill Hasselhoff himself and collect the $500,000. Of course, nothing goes according to plan and Chris actually saves Hasselhoff's life but gets shot himself. That is when things turn around though and Chris gets his club and his fiancé back. All's well that ends well…
I feel as though this movie was a bunch of IOU's cashed in by Grant to get the cast he has. Honestly, the movie could have never been made if Hasselhoff had said no but luckily he found something funny in the idea of playing a caricature of himself. Jeong isn't nearly as hilarious as he was in the Hangover films but Lovitz gets some points for laughs here and there. Rhys Darby (Pirate Radio) has some good scenes as Chris's friend who goes off the deep end when he finds out his girlfriend cheated on him and winds up in a mental institution. Ikeda mostly falls flat. However, there are a number of impressive cameos and whoever convinced Justin Bieber to play the voice of K.I.T.T. is a genius.
I think the major issue is the script, to be honest. With the talent involved in this film, there could have been so much more done but it is just missing. The concept is quirky enough to actually work but the script is simply not funny and the "gags" are mediocre at best. It's a shame really but for some, it will be a guilty pleasure for years to come.
The DVD is pretty bare too with 8 minutes of deleted scenes as the only extra. Even here I feel an opportunity was lost. The largest chunk of this extra is at the annual death pool with a banter back and forth between Chris and his friends and an interesting exchange between Hasselhoff, Hulk Hogan and Mel B from the Spice girls (did I mention the numerous cameos?) should have been left in the film as an interesting and informational scene to move the plot along. However, for whatever reason, it was cut.
If you happen to be a huge Hasselhoff fan this movie is full of him and even has him singing during the end credits. Otherwise, get the movie and use it to make up an imaginative drinking game for you and your friend and then create your own death pool.
Grade: C-
