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Brooke Smith, Glenn Fitzgerald, Marylouise Burke, Richard Venture, Merritt Wever ... see more see more... , Nada Despotovich , Donna Hanover , Danton Stone , Jennifer Van Dyck , Tanny Mc Donald , Will Arnett

The "reality TV" craze is taken to its final, logical extreme as six people hunt each other down in a small town for the benefit of network TV cameras in this darkly comic satire. "The Contenders" is ... read more read more...a top-rated television game show in which six contestants are set loose in the same Connecticut community, with orders to kill or be killed; the last of the six who is still alive is declared the winner. As "The Contenders" goes into its seventh season, Dawn (Brooke Smith) is a two-time champion who is hoping to hold on to her title, despite the fact that she's due to have a baby in a month. Dawn's rivals this time out are Tony (Michael Kaycheck), an unemployed blue-collar worker with a taste for violence; Connie (Marylouise Burke), a middle-aged nurse who doesn't like to hurt people but is an experienced hand with a syringe; Lindsay (Merritt Wever), an 18-year-old dance student whose parents are eager to see her compete; Franklin (Richard Venture), an elderly conspiracy theorist with a tenuous hold on reality; and Jeff (Glenn Fitzgerald), who is dying of testicular cancer -- and was Dawn's boyfriend years ago. Series 7: The Contenders marked the directorial debut for Daniel Minahan, who previously employed pop culture and America's obsession with violence as themes in his screenplay for I Shot Andy Warhol. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

64% liked it

5,591 ratings

Critics

70% liked it

80 critics

R, 1 hr. 26 min.

Directed by: Daniel Minahan

Release Date: May 25, 2001

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DVD Release Date: December 18, 2001

Stats: 363 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (363)

  • SirPant
    September 29, 2009
    SirPant
    Great idea but it could have been a lot better, maybe with a better cast and a bigger budget!
  • hoganshero
    December 5, 2007
    hoganshero
    Hilarious! I love this film. They quicky push you to the edge of what Reality TV can be..then add a love story too. This film holds a mirror up to the American Culture..and reveals some pretty ugly things.
  • gor41
    October 23, 2007
    gor41
    Little known biting satire on the horror of 'reality' TV which takes the format to its natural conclusion. Deserves a wide audience.
  • MidnightMadwoman
    July 15, 2007
    MidnightMadwoman
    A caustic and darkly funny jab at reality TV. It's amazing how much this looks like the real thing. Don't listen to the narrator- he lies to you. I love the way the final show seems to manifactured, that the truth almost seems irrelevant in the face of such perfect entertainment.... read more This not only skewers reality TV, but phoniness in general. This is the best parody of reality TV I have ever seen.
  • mrbungle7821
    February 24, 2006
    mrbungle7821
    [font=Arial][color=darkred]Anyway here's a quick look at some recent rentals of mine and the thoughts that they provoked and the feelings I wanted to either scream about or just scream period.[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]Training Day - Denzel Washington won an Osc... read morear for this? Instead of Malcolm X? For THIS?! Yes he gets to huff and puff as he plays against type as a dirty cop, but is this reason alone to give an Academy Award to such a forgettable and collectively implausible film? Ethan Hawk, his co-star, is actually better in the film than Denzel! All I can say is right actor, wrong movie. It's like rewarding Kevin Spacey for Pay It Forward over the other screamingly better movies. It doesn't make sense. There are plenty of hip-hop stars making cameos or small roles (Dr. Dre, Snoop, Macy Gray) but most of the time Training Day feels like tired and dead air especially as the contrivances begin to pile onto one another the longer this day goes. And Denzel is huffing and puffing but the house still stands. Man, the voters must really have not wanted Russell Crowe to win.[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: C[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]Serendipity - There's a universe somewhere populated entirely with down-on-their-luck lovable sweethearts and good-hearted friendly buffoons operated under the physics of romantic comedies. In this universe there is no such thing as chance, even if one leaves it up to it, and in this place what would seem like frustratingly idiotic behavior seems romantic. So is Serendipity revolving in this universe. Kate Beckinsale is a gal that leaves everything to fate, possibly even her taxes, and John Cusack is the smitten man running all over the place trying to find this mad woman. In our world Beckinsale would seem foolish or even mean-spirited, but because the two will definitely end up in each other's arms before the credits roll we allow her to continue her ridiculous behavior. She puts Cusack in a seemingly cruel obstacle course of chance to win her heart. These people operate outside of our known world. Eugene Levy has a brief and funny part in the movie but otherwise Serendipity takes itself as being much cuter and smarter than it is.[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: C-[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]Sexy Beast - Never, under any circumstances, do you want to piss off Gandhi. Sexy Beast is a British crime story where the ferocious mad dog Don Logan (Ben Kingsley) is trying to recruit a retired hand (Ray Winstone) into one last job back in London. Winstone is enjoying the sun of California with his middle-aged ex-porn star wife who he loves dearly. But Don does not take "no" for an answer. Kingsley is the true focal point of the film and is astounding and brutally terrifying as the wound up gangster. He gives an electrifying performance that is the polar opposite of India's non-violent leader. When Kingsley vanishes from the screen Sexy Beast suffers and becomes a variation of the old crime film, except a very short one at that being under 90 minutes of running time. Video director Jonathon Glazer has done a fine job for his debut but there isn't much to this tale without Kingsley's memorable efforts.[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: B[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]Series 7: The Contenders - A scathing satire of our media and bloodthirsty society wanting something always pushing the boundaries. Writer-director Daniel Minahan has created a future where the most popular TV show is called "The Contenders" and selects five strangers at random in the same town as contestants. The problem is that these five people, including the winner of the previous season, are now on a manhunt in a kill-or-be-killed situation where the only prize of this game show is one's own life. Series 7 is skillfully made to be indistinguishable from other reality TV shows except for the bursts of language and violence. If you were playing this and a friend walked into the room they would be convinced it was a TV show. The film gets a little soap operish toward the end with its characters dealing with haunted love but the film is a fast and entertaining warning piece that might provoke as many thoughts as cries for blood.[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: B+[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]Audition - Ever seen a sick joke made into a movie? A Japanese movie? Well rest assured that you now can. The crux of this film centers around a widowed father raising his teenage son who suggests that dad begins to find a new wife so they can once again have a family. His friend comes up with the idea for an audition where they bring in hundreds of candidates and they can see which can ignite sparks. Sounds like an intriguing premise to a promising and cute foreign romantic comedy? Can you picture the fun and charming moments in your head as this premise plays out? Well now erase all that and replace it with a sudden violent shift into second-rate Cronenberg territory. The special one that the father picks ends up having a mysterious past that involves sexual mutilation by a frisky uncle who is now leg-less. Guess who did that? And then it gets even darker as the gal seems to hobble those around her for permanent company and slices and dices those she feels do not love her anymore. Where the hell did all this stuff come from? And that's the point: it comes from nowhere! The shift is so jarring that it happens like you're locked in a drag race. The horror is so over the top and inane that what seemed promising now turns into a great conversation piece with friends. "Hey, there was this movie that seemed like it would be fun and romantic and then suddenly..."[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: D+ [/color][/font]
  • Junnerayemalinao2012
    January 30, 2012
    Junnerayemalinao2012
    I think one of the things that this film can boast is its realism. It was well-acted so my question is: Where the heck does these actors went now? It felt very real, it is not lacking in dark humor . . . and just, good.
  • fb100000185301014
    January 23, 2012
    fb100000185301014
    Nearly a masterpiece, it's so wickedly funny I just can't help myself but laugh all the way through. It's low budget yet surprisingly fresh and original. The characters were interestingly enough to keep me going, the acting was great too, very realistic. I really enjoy the tv sho... read morew-like editing and narration.
  • cacutshaw
    April 3, 2008
    cacutshaw
    Decent Canadian film about a television show whose goal is for the contenders to kill off one another. Unfortunately it becomes too comedic by the end, but all in all it's a decent watch.
  • threefolddado
    October 13, 2007
    threefolddado
    Not as good as it should have been.
  • KLFilmmaker
    October 7, 2006
    KLFilmmaker
    Reality TV show ala Battle Royale, but a fun watch.

View All Series 7: The Contenders Reviews

Critic Reviews

Joe Baltake
April 16, 2001
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

The so-called jokes here have a cartoon stridency and drop with a thud. None of them is deep or lasting. Full Review

Richard Schickel
April 6, 2001
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine

Clever. Full Review

Louis B. Parks
March 23, 2001
Louis B. Parks, Houston Chronicle

Series 7 is clever, hip filmmaking, admirable for its tenacious faithfulness to the world it creates. Full Review

Stanley Kauffmann
March 21, 2001
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic

'Reality' notwithstanding, the performances in this film are uniformly good, and Brooke Smith as Dawn is better than that.

Desson Thomson
March 16, 2001
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

It's as funny as you could reasonably expect without Christopher Guest being involved in the project. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
March 16, 2001
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

It seduces us until, damn our black hearts, we've come to really care who wins. Full Review

Bob Graham
March 16, 2001
Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle

Its prescience is sometimes uncanny. Full Review

Robert K. Elder
March 16, 2001
Robert K. Elder, Chicago Tribune

Does exactly what independent cinema should -- challenge audiences while it entertains.

Roger Ebert
March 16, 2001
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The movie has one joke and tells it too often, for too long. Full Review

Susan Wloszczyna
March 2, 2001
Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today

As entertainment, such dark material can only stretch so far, and Series 7 comes awfully close to being as numbing as the genre it mocks. But its power can't be denied. Full Review

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    • Dawn: What did they call me on the news the other day? Killer Momma?
    • Narrator: Sudden death overtime! Can Jeff really change from an ex-gay pacifist to a fierce contender? Does he have the guts to do battle with Dawn? And get the job done?
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Series 7: The Contenders Trivia

  • Series 7: The Contenders (2001)- a movie about a reality show with an unusual premise. What is the objective of the "Contenders" on the reality show within the movie?  Answer »
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