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Film: April Fool’s Day
Year: 2008
Director: Mitchell Altieri and Phil Flores
Writer: Mikey Wigart
Starring: Taylor Cole, Josh Henderson and Scout Taylor-Compton
Review:
This film begins with a well-to-do Southern woman, played by Taylor Cole. Her brother is played by Josh Henderson. Cole is hosting a party for one of her friends. The purpose of this party is to be her coming out party as a debutante; she is played by Scout Taylor-Compton. This party takes place on April 1, 2007.
We learn that Cole and Henderson both like to pull pranks, especially on this day. Cole leads a toast that includes Henderson, Taylor-Compton as well as a married couple. The wife is played by Jennifer Siebel Newsom and she is Ms. Carolina. Her husband is running for the Senate and he is played by Samuel Child. There is also a friend there that doesn’t have the money they do, but he is filming the event, he is played by Joe Egender.
Once the party has started we meet a celebrity columnist who is in attendance, played by Joseph McKelheer. We then meet the rival of Cole; she is played by Sabrina Aldridge. She has not been participating in social events due to working with her mother’s charity.
At the party, we learn that Henderson is in charge of the family trust and this is something that Cole doesn’t like. She enlists her brother’s aid on a prank that will humiliate Aldridge. Egender films Henderson putting something in a drink. Aldridge was slipped a ‘roofie’. Henderson takes her up to a room and is trying to get her to have sex with him. Outside of the room are Cole and McKelheer. They are filming it with Egender’s camera. While they are there, they are joined by a drunk Child and Newsom. Egender also joins this group as well.
This doesn’t go as planned though. Aldridge doesn’t feel right, so she will not go forward. The group busts in on the scene. Aldridge begins to have a seizure and falls over the balcony. Taylor-Compton is the first to her body and is distraught. Aldridge dies from her fall.
We then learn that Henderson was acquitted of all charges, McKelheer wrote a book about what happened and struck it rich. Cole now has control of the trust fund.
There is a scene that is filmed by a hand-held camera. Someone is spying on McKelheer. He is tanning and as he gets out of the bed, he hears his dog crying and goes searching. He thinks that his dog has jumped into the pool. The problem is that he cannot swim, but he still jumps into the water. He ends up drowning.
It is now the one year anniversary. Henderson has spent the night in a hotel room and it looks like his life is falling apart. Cole is having breakfast at their house and is shocked when she gets a letter. It doesn’t say who it is from, but it tells her that she needs to go to the grave of Aldridge at noon. Cole leaves the house and believes she sees Aldridge on her way, this freaks her out. She goes to her brother and learns that he has gotten one as well.
At the gravesite, Egender is already there. He is joined by Taylor-Compton. As they are talking, Cole and Henderson show up. They are soon joined by Newsom and Child. While they are talking, a package arrives. It has a letter telling them that whoever killed Aldridge needs to admit to it or they all will die until that person is left. They are told not to go to the police. With the letter is a portable video player that shows McKelheer’s death. Newsome and Child don’t have time for this so they leave.
They all go there to see if it is true and find out that it is. Cole is freaked as well as Taylor-Compton. Egender and Henderson want to find who is doing this. Egender has a filming job at a beauty pageant and Taylor-Compton is an actress for a low-budget horror movie.
Henderson states he will call the police to report the murder, but instead checks to see where the package was from. They learn that it comes from the address that Egender lives at. Cole and Henderson can’t get a hold of Newsome or Egender at the pageant. They go there. While they are there, Newsome is electrocuted. Cole finds the body.
Can they stop the rest of them from getting murdered? Will they be able to stop who is doing this? Who is behind this? Was it an accident that Aldridge died or will whoever killed her step forward?
The best part about this film is how good the women look. I have a big crush on Cole. Taylor-Compton, Newsom and Aldridge are all pretty good looking as well. The overall idea of this film is an okay one, but a little bit farfetched. It makes more sense after the twist at the end. I like Taylor-Compton and Egender’s acting in the film. I also like the concept of remaking this film with rich people who seem to get away with whatever they want. That’s about it.
I have a lot of issues with this film. The death scenes are weak and for the most part they do not make sense. McKelheer drowning in his swimming pool, when he could easily bounce off the bottom to survive for one and then I don’t think Newsom would be electrocuted as she was either. I think the acting is weak and as well as the story.
I wouldn’t recommend this film unless you are interested in seeing a subpar remake. The acting for the most part isn’t good. The story has some good aspects, but overall is weak. There are some bright spots, just not many. The twist at the end is decent and the ladies look good, but not enough to watch this unless you are dead set on doing so.
My Rating: 4 out of 10