Serving Sara Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
The One Thing That Could Bring Them Together Is Revenge.
When Sara (Elizabeth Hurley) is served divorce papers while she is in New York, she is stunned. Not about to lose the fortune she amassed with her self-serving Texas husband, she makes an offer to her process server, Joe (Matthew Perry) that sets them off on a wild trip across the country.
| Amy Adams | Kate |
| Cedric the Entertainer | Ray Harris |
| Matthew Perry | Joe Tyler |
| Elizabeth Hurley | Sara Moore |
| Vincent Pastore | Tony |
| Bruce Campbell | Gordon Moore |
| Terry Crews | Vernon |
| Jerry Stiller | Milton the Cop |
| Marshall Bell | Warren Cebron |
| Derek Southers | Bouncer |
| Alan Ackles | Man in elevator |
| Robin McGee | Jimmy, Elevator Operator |
| Brent Duncan | Blackjack Dealer |
| Eli Jacques | Woman at Blackjack Table |
| John Wayne Shafer | Pit Boss |
| Reginald Hudlin |
4.80 out of 10 (4604 votes)
Visitor Reviews
the only good things
posted on 12 Apr 2009were hurleys foxy ass and the incredible bruce campbell. Matthew perry just wasn't funny. He is at his best when playing chandler bing and noone else. cedric the entertainer sucked pretty bad. Just sounded wooden when delivering his lines. Liz Hurley was better than I thought
Not the worst movie ever made (as everyone made it out to be), but not good either.
posted on 02 Apr 2009I remember when "Serving Sara" came out I was in the process of moving to England and there were commercials on TV during my pack-out. Each one showed the scene where Elizabeth Hurley gets her pants torn off by Matthew Perry and says, "I said to help me, not undress me!" Of course it was a clever marketing scheme to get teenaged boys (and indeed any males) into the theaters in the hopes of seeing Liz Hurley in underwear for two hours, but they neglected to let audiences know as soon as she says this, she covers herself up with a suitcase and gets a new pair of pants.The whole movie is like this. It's tricky and devious. The ads presented it as something it wasn't. One critic (was it that awful Earl Dittman of the non-existent Wireless Magazine?) said Liz Hurley was like (and I quote) "...Lucille Ball." Oh, right. Maybe if Lucille Ball had undergone hours of plastic surgery, looked anorexic, had a British accent, long flowing hair, had been unfunny, and single-handedly helped bomb every movie she starred in.Liz Hurley is an awful actress and (I personally think) just so-so in terms of looks. (Any ugly person can look sexy with millions of dollars. Just look at Paris Hilton.) She's not the only fault of "Serving Sara." The script is like a crappy version of "Midnight Run." It's about bounty hunters and women being tracked down and ruthless guys hiring other hit men to take hit men out and... I honestly stopped caring about ten minutes into the film.Matthew Perry (looking bloated, unhealthy and utterly bored) basically just mumbles through the whole film. I like Perry (at least on "Friends") but this is not his Big Breakthrough. (Neither was "The Whole Ten Yards," for that matter.) I don't think this is a totally hideous movie - I mean, it's not unbearable to watch. I managed to sit through it. But I was checking my watch a lot.And then I recalled how, in England, once I arrived overseas, it went straight to video, never given a theatrical release: and I could totally understand why.
Seen Worse
posted on 23 Feb 2009I have to say that when i saw this movie's commerical i thought it looked pretty good so i rented it. But before i did that i saw a lot of bad comments about it and i was turned off but i just watched it and it wasn't that bad. I mean that it's not but it didnt try to be the godfather! It was ok. Some parts were funny some were boring but overall i have seen worse movies! Like go see the new guy! I give it a 5/10 for a good average movie !
It sucks !
posted on 03 Feb 2009This movie is one of the worst "roamtic" comedy I have ever seen.Story is stupid, script and dialogs are absolute crap. The actors cannot act (I had loved Matthew Perry in Three to tango, but I hated him here). Same is true for Elizabeth Hurley that I had found funny as the devil in Bedazzled, but she really sucks in this one.Do not invest any time or money in it, you will regret it !
Did anyone notice...
posted on 24 Jan 2009..that this movie was a remake of Midnight Run? Instead of a bounty hunter, they use a process server. Then you have the mismatched buddy movie: Perry & Hurley vs. DeNiro and Grodin. The race against the clock. The competitor who does everything he can to screw up the deal: Tony in this movie vs. Midnight Run's Marvin. The boss on the phone running the show: Pantelino vs. Cedric. The big-money payoff at the end. The big difference is that Midnight Run was a comedy classic and this movie...well, not so much, as Paul Reiser would say. Anyway, since all Hollywood does these days is mindlessly remake the same movies over and over, this is no big deal. I was just wondering if anyone else noticed. I am proud to say I saw this movie on cable and therefore didn't incur any out-of-pocket expense.
Underrated. Not genius, but funny!
posted on 10 Jan 2009If you like the lead actors, you'll like this movie. Joe is a Chandler-esque character,
except more cynical, to the point of being a jerk... but a funny jerk. LizHurley is cast (as usual) as the very hot and sophisticated love interest. Yes, there are
some contrived "let's dress her up and show off her body" scenes, including the "I said
help me, not undress me!" scene from the trailer. Still, the dialogue is funny, the
interaction between Joe and Tony is funny, and yes, Cedric entertains.This is a solid rental, and I would have expected that it would get around a 6 or 6.5
rating here. I guess some people wanted a more sophisticated plot. Sorry! Ogle Liz and
laugh at Matthew, that's all you get.
Funny Movie!
posted on 25 Dec 2008Matthew Perry and Elizabeth Hurley serve up a very funny, and fine comedy romp in "Serving Sara". Perry plays Joe Tyler, a processing server who boss(Cedric The Entertainer) is more conniving than himself. He and his lackey Tony (Vincent Pastore) makes lots of money serving people. Upon making a serve, he meets Sara(Hurley) and gives him a offer he couldn't refuse. After getting his nose busted, the new partnership has begun. I like the part at the airport where Sara's jeans get mangled up at the conveyor belt. Then when they get to a cheap motel, she flashes the night auditor. The recipe of this team-up is revenge on her ex-husband(Bruce Campbell). Tony, Ray Harris' co-worker is more inept than helpful. He gets the paperwork done, but the time zone gives his the disadvantage. Revenge does have its price, but if it's right, it's a payoff. The result, living large and in charge! Great movie, great cast, so-so response from the critics. But I don't care! You got served! 3 out of 5 stars!
BEST MOVIE EVER!!!
posted on 27 Nov 2008This movie was one of the best movies that Matthew Perry have ever done!!I thought this movie was very funny. I have been looking foward to seeing this movie for so long and I am not dissapointed in it. It was one of the funniest movies I saw this summer. I think that all the reviews are very wrong about this movie and everyone should go and see it. Matthew Perry is a great actor and very hot! GO SEE SERVING
A good comedy!
posted on 18 Oct 2008i enjoyed this movie very much and i really don't understand why it got 5.0 on IMDb? this is a comedy for god sake, it's supposed to make you laugh and this film does that very good! Matthew Perry is funny as always, maybe there are some people who hate him and his acting, so they give his movies worst reviews even without watching them. story itself is not very special, but you can't say "it had been seen a million times" because it hadn't. at the matter affect, it's quite interesting and refreshing, especially in "romantic comedy" genre (which i usually hate btw). i watch this movie every time when i stumble upon it on TV. take it from me: you are gonna love it! :)enjoy!
Pale Rip-Off
posted on 16 Oct 2008Let's take the framework of "Midnight Run," turn DeNiro's character into a process server played by, oh, I don't know, anyone that fills the leather jacket and rewrite Charles Grodin's fine character into, oh, I don't know, some hot chick whose butt we all want to stare at for 90 minutes since there is very little else of interest here. Rewrite the classic mannerisms of Marvin Doerfeller as a bumbling co-worker to be more Italiano and make Joe Pantolinano's well-acted, sleazy bail bondsman character into a black guy with a penchant for clever one-liners when the story begins to sag and the money shots of that butt begin to lose their luster.This story was better the first time around, when it was, oh, I don't know, worthy of the screen.
I have seen worse
posted on 04 Oct 2008I just rented the movie and thought it was quite funny. Now do not get me wrong this is not going to win any Oscars although this movie does not set out to do that either. I think Matthew Perry is a very good comedic actor, although he is underrated. The plot structure of the movie is not the greatest, but like I said before they were not intent on breaking new ground just trying to make an entertaining picture. Elizabeth Hurley has a quality about her, it is probably her sexual appeal, that draws you in. I liked her in Bedazzled and Austin Powers and thought she acted as well in this movie as she did in her previous ventures.So if I were to grade this movie I would give it a C+. I will give a plus to Matthew Perry and Elizabeth Hurley and minus on plot.
did they consult any actual lawyers before making this?
posted on 08 Sep 2008This film is bad because the entire plot revolves around service of process, and it makes no sense. Granted, I went to law school and got A's in my civil procedure courses. But even a layperson can see the flaws in this.In most jurisdictions, you can complete service of process in a number of ways. You can hand the legal documents to the person. You can send them registered mail. You can post an ad in the paper. You can post notice on the courthouse door. You can leave the documents with any adult who resides at the house of the target. You can leave documents in a conspicuous location on the property of the target. You can serve a registered agent, which in many cases is the Secretary of State or similar office holder of your jurisdiction. You can even walk up to the person, say "I have legal documents for you," and drop them at his feet. Even if you don't hand-deliver them, you have served process.There is a reason for this.If, as this film portrays, you can't serve anyone unless they take the papers from you, it would be impossible to ever sue anyone because most people would never take anything from a stranger. That would make it to easy for people to avoid ever suffering any consequences for their actions. Husbands could avoid ever getting divorced, and therefore ever paying alimony.So remember folks: if, in your real life, you are ever a defendant in a lawsuit, you can lose by default if someone leaves papers at your feet and you never show up in court! Knowing all this, the plot of the film is eviscerated. What is left, that is, bad acting, bad sight gags, bad everything, isn't enough to hold the film together in any meaningful way.Avoid this movie.
A funny screwball comedy
posted on 20 Jun 2008Its been years I believe since there has been a screwball comedy. The last one I saw was the classic Bringing up Baby. I was glad to see this movie. There were some jokes that made me cry or made me smile. Bruce Campbell is always great of course (love that Texan accent). See it you won't be disappointed.10/10
Worth The Watch
posted on 04 Jun 2008*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*"Serving Sara" was a pretty good movie. I found it to be funny and enjoyable. I saw it in theaters when it came out two years ago and I want to see it again since I'm starting to forget parts of it.The acting in this movie is very good, especially Matthew Perry's. My favorite scene is the Miami scene, that was hilarious. I also liked the ending, when Sara gets served.Many people HATE this movie, but I don't understand why. I found it to be funny and interesting and so did my friends and family. I give this movie 9/10 stars and suggest anyone who likes comedies to see it!
Absolute garbage...
posted on 18 Mar 2008Rented it to see if Mathew Perry could act different from the angry, "the world owes me", brooding, dislikeable person he portrayed on FriendsRated it a 1 because I've no other options. Too bad this system doesn't have minus signs.Fast forwarded most of the useless gratuitous cursing and raging. Which was most of the film. Reduced the 1+film to around 20'. Even that was too much of a waste of my time for me. Beauty of watching a movie at home. One doesn't have to "sit" through a "B" (This one was a Z) hoping for improvement.The story line was asinine.All the characters had the same M.O. as Mathew Perry. The whole film was full of Mathew Perry's interacting with Mathew Perry. Everyone was worst than awful.Mathew Perry was still doing same sch-tick he did on Friends...angry, bad mouthed, rebel with absolutely no cause but his own self involvement... no changes... obviously can't act. Get over yourself.
It Could've Been So Much More
posted on 25 Feb 2008I watched `Serving Sara' on Saturday. I wish I could say it was a very funny film. I wish I could say that Matthew Perry doesn't look unhealthy for most of the movie. I wish I could say that Elizabeth Hurley was a good comedic actress. I can say that it's clear even when she's acting that Ms. Hurley is a very classy lady. She's also obviously comfortable in front of the camera. However, her use of exaggerated hip swaying and mouth expressions isn't effective in carrying the jokes. When I think of popular actresses who are naturally funny, I think of Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan. Both these ladies utilize their eyes and whole faces in delivering their comedic lines. As for the very likeable Matthew, the circles under his eyes and his drawn face made it hard for me to focus on his performance. His delivery was similar to his acting in `Friends', but in `Serving Sara' his appearance throughout the whole movie seemed subdued. Perhaps he lacked gusto due to the health crisis he was battling at the time of filming or maybe he was directed to be less `Chandler', and more streetwise and scrappy. As for the other two main co-stars, Vincent Pastore basically plays his character in `The Sopranos'; I couldn't detect any difference between his movie performance and television persona. Cedric `The Entertainer' caught my attention with his on-the-verge-of-a-heart-attack performance as the boss with a short temper and high blood pressure. However, his schtick ran out of steam rather quickly. I became unimpressed after his second remark about `that bitch' revealed a lack of original dialogue. Still, if you're a Matthew Perry fan, as I am, the movie isn't an entire waste. The actor's good nature shines through, even when his role calls for him to be something of a jaded character. I had a few chuckles at some of Matthew's more physical scenes and got to watch him for an hour and a half, so I left the theatre with a smile on my face.
Could've been a lot better
posted on 21 Feb 2008The previews made this look like it was going to be really funny, but what was actually delivered was cute, but pretty much missed the mark. I still liked the general plot, but the characters were largely poorly done stereotypes, and the acting by both Matthew Perry and, especially, Elizabeth Hurley was lackluster.The whole movie seemed like it was thrown together quickly, and the only thing saving it from a failing grade is the fact that Elizabeth Hurley looked especially HOT. 6/10
Excellent movie that will make you laugh and feel good
posted on 09 Feb 2008SERVING SARA, in my opinion, is an excellent movie that will make you laugh and feel good. When Joe (Matthew Perry) got beaten by Allison (Nikki Ziering), I got a little queasy. This was because of how she did it. If you ask me, the way he met and fell for Sara (Elizabeth Hurley) was absolutely romantic. I especially loved the scenery in Texas. In my opinion, his boss, Ray (Cedric the Entertainer), and co-worker, Tony (Vincent Pastore), were absolute jerks. However, all in all, this film was very well done. Now, in conclusion, I highly recommend this absolutely charming romantic comedy that will make you laugh and feel good to any Matthew Perry or Elizabeth Hurley fan who hasn't seen it. You're in for lots of laughter, so go to the video store, rent it or buy it, kick back with a friend, and watch it.
Meh...
posted on 04 Jan 2008This is one of those comedies your mother brings home thinking itmight be "cute funny"; you know: no boobies, not much swearing,little to no violence, and written in a way that everyone gets thejokes.................and she'd be right.Matthew Perry does his best NOT to be Chandler Bing in his roleas cynical process server Joe Tyler, and walks a fine line betweensuccess and reliance on his old character traits. He swears, lies,doesn't shave and wears a leather jacket, but every now and againslips back into a motion or facial expression that is the essence ofChandler Bing. Oh well, he's still the best performer in the film. Liz Hurley, as a supposedly devoted wife, oblivious to herhusband's extramarital affair and suddenly served with divorcepapers, shows all of the emotion of canned tuna. Let's face it, sheis merely 'eye-candy' in the picture. And Cedric The Entertainer isappallingly one-dimensional and insipid in his role as Tyler's boss(he delivers lines like an urban Henny Youngman, for pete'ssake!).The real problems here are dialogue and comic timing though. Every line (especially those given to/ by Perry) come across as socompletely scripted and placed within the conversations that allthe comedy of the actual words seem forced, and resultingly nothumourous at all. The dialogue also suffers from both not wantingto step on the other characters lines, and in needing to spoon-feedthe storyline so completely to the viewer (which makes one feelabout 3 years old by movie's end). Then there is the 'tear-jerking'story behind why Tyler does this for a living, and the horribly forcedromance between Perry and Hurley's characters to add to thegrowing miasma of distaste in your mouth.I never laughed once. My family chuckled here and there. And inthe end, as the credits rolled, my mother chimed in, "That waspretty good." Our home theatre remained silent in response.5/10. Not terrible, but nothing I'd watch again or recommend ingood conscience.
Surprisingly funny - if you like sarcastic humor
posted on 01 Jun 2009After having seen the low rating on IMDb, I was prepared for the worst. But to my pleasant surprise, the movie is actually quite funny! The dialogue features a lot of sarcasm and witty remarks - without being annoying. (If you don't like or don't understand sarcasm, you won't like this movie.)Of course, the plot is silly. But it doesn't hurt the movie because the plot is basically irrelevant, anyway. It's just an excuse to put the cast in various awkward and funny situations. Those that complain, have they really expected some epic drama with deep philosophic insights? Come on!If you hesitate to watch this movie because it is supposed to be a 'romance' movie, don't worry. The cheesy romantic bit is kept to a very bearable minimum.This is not the best or funniest movie I have ever seen. But I really enjoyed it. I give it a deserved 7 (out of 10).