An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn 1998

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: A comedy without laughs, an expose without point. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Burning is too good for such a wretched fiasco; only a surgical nuclear strike could suitably destroy what has to be one of the most enervating comedies ever made. Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times: The level of humor could be called sophomoric, but that would insult most sophomores. Read more

Janet Maslin, New York Times: Incidentally, it's a bad idea to try bailing out hopelessly flat comedy with outtakes that are funnier than the in-takes manage to be. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: If you harbor an interest in watching so-called "industry smarts" autodestruct, this carries a certain morbid appeal, but that's about the extent of it. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: What turns the witlessness rancid is the way the movie is saturated in the very corruption it thinks it's ridiculing. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: A spectacularly bad film -- incompetent, unfunny, ill-conceived, badly executed, lamely written, and acted by people who look trapped in the headlights. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: The picture is just a spoof, getting by on wit and a parade of celebrity cameos. Within its modest scope, it pretty much succeeds. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: A caustic but under-funny "expose" of the venality of the motion picture business. Read more