Directed by: Lucky McKee
Written by: Sean Hood, Lucky McKee
Cast: Angela Bettis, Erin Brown, Jesse Hlubik
In 2002, Mick Garris, director and frequent Stephen King interpreter, began hosting a series of recurring dinners with some friends who also just happened to be renowned horror filmmakers — people like Stuart Gordon, Dario Argento, John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, Mary Lambert and Lucky McKee, among many others. It was kind of an Algonquin Round Table of Terror, but this rotating group of guests was dubbed the Masters of Horror. A couple of years later, Garris created a series for Showtime called Masters of Horror, featuring hour-long movies made by his horrific dinner companions, one of the best of which is "Sick Girl," Lucky McKee's 2006 entry.
"Sick Girl" reteams McKee and the supremely skilled Angela Bettis for a film that is a bit different than what you might expect from the pair that delivered May, a movie that is very close to my heart. While May was a stunning exploration of loneliness, dressed up in a riff on Frankenstein, "Sick Girl" is more a warped romantic comedy with a horror/sci-fi twist. This is not as strange as it might seem. When you think about it, there is no more fertile ground for horror than romantic relationships. I mean, what is scarier than love?
Written by Sean Hood and redrafted heavily by McKee, "Sick Girl" is the story of Ida Teeter, a nerdy, lovelorn entomologist that just can't find the girl of her dreams. Her best friend and co-worker, Max (Jesse Hlubik), advises her that the problem is her job: "Babes or bugs. You can't have both." But when Ida meets Misty, a quirky artist portrayed delightfully by Erin Brown, she finds that one can have it all. In fact, Misty loves Ida's insects almost as much as she does Ida — and one very special bug, she might love even more.
McKee has a lot of fun subverting the standard rom-com conventions, first by installing Bettis in what is usually the man's role and then taking the usual "boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back" formula and standing it on its head. "Sick Girl" also allows McKee to display his wry sense of humor, which doesn't come out to play often enough and seems downright infectious here — the whole cast appears to be having a blast.
Bettis is unexpectedly entertaining as Ida, a part that's unlike anything she's done in the past. She has made a career of playing disaffected loners and, truthfully, that's not an inaccurate description of Ida. Though she seems initially miscast in what is, in essence, a romantic lead, Bettis is able to find the comedy in this outsider and is a joy in the role. She is well matched with the adorable Erin Brown as Misty. Brown is probably best known for her softcore work as Misty Mundae, but she has developed into a wonderful character actress and a magical screen presence (highly recommended is In the Wall, her 2007 short film with Mike Williamson). "Sick Girl" provides her the chance to really show her range and she does so effortlessly, making us fall in love with her one minute and recoil in terror the next.
This piece is probably my second favorite work from McKee. Made after The Woods, his compromised sophomore effort, McKee's Masters of Horror episode offered him the creative freedom to do exactly what he wanted, and it shows. "Sick Girl" still travels McKee's favorite territory — alienation and the search for intimacy — but its landing place is a haven that leaves you with a smile. That's not the expected destination for a McKee flick, but it's not an unwelcome depot. Maybe love's not that scary after all.
Ooh, nice call, 1KWolves. But I tend to to think his appearance is the result of being nicknamed "Lucky." Can you imagine the pressure? Yow. I mean, what if you're not...lucky, that is? Sheesh. The day-to-day must be excruciating.
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A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it's not open.
I'm going to watch this again. I bought the first season on Blu-ray when they came out but haven't watched any of them yet. Not on Blu-ray, I owned all the individual DVD's too for the first 2 seasons. I was very addicted to them.
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This is not a dream... not a dream. We are using your brain's electrical system as a receiver. We are unable to transmit through conscious neural interference. You are receiving this broadcast as a dream. We are transmitting from the year one, nine, nine, nine. You are receiving this broadcast in order to alter the events you are seeing. Our technology has not developed a transmitter strong enough to reach your conscious state of awareness, but this is not a dream. You are seeing what is actually occurring for the purpose of causality violation.
In 2002, Mick Garris, director and frequent Stephen King interpreter, began hosting a series of recurring dinners with some friends who also just happened to be renowned horror filmmakers — people like Stuart Gordon, Dario Argento, John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, Mary Lambert and Lucky McKee, among many others. It was kind of an Algonquin Round Table of Terror, but this rotating group of guests was dubbed the Masters of Horror. A couple of years later, Garris created a series for Showtime called Masters of Horror, featuring hour-long movies made by his horrific dinner companions, one of the best of which is "Sick Girl," Lucky McKee's 2006 entry. 
Bettis is unexpectedly entertaining as Ida, a part that's unlike anything she's done in the past. She has made a career of playing disaffected loners and, truthfully, that's not an inaccurate description of Ida. Though she seems initially miscast in what is, in essence, a romantic lead, Bettis is able to find the comedy in this outsider and is a joy in the role. She is well matched with the adorable Erin Brown as Misty. Brown is probably best known for her softcore work as Misty Mundae, but she has developed into a wonderful character actress and a magical screen presence (highly recommended is In the Wall, her 2007 short film with Mike Williamson). "Sick Girl" provides her the chance to really show her range and she does so effortlessly, making us fall in love with her one minute and recoil in terror the next.
Ooh, nice call, 1KWolves. But I tend to to think his appearance is the result of being nicknamed "Lucky." Can you imagine the pressure? Yow. I mean, what if you're not...lucky, that is? Sheesh. The day-to-day must be excruciating.
A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it's not open.