Serving Sara (2002)
Review by Doc Ezra
Film:
DVD:

Written by Jay Scherick and David Ronn
Directed by Reginald Hudlin
Starring Matthew Perry, Elizabeth Hurley, Bruce Campbell, Vincent Pastore, and Cedric the Entertainer

Features

• Director’s commentary
  
• Outtakes
  
• Deleted scenes
  
• Extended/alternate scenes
  
• Making-of featurette
  
• Trailer
  

Rating: PG-13

Anamorphic: Yes

My advice: Rent it.

Joe (Perry) is a process server in Manhattan. He spends his days finding inventive ways to hand over subpoenas, divorce papers, and all other manner of legal documents to low-lifes, con artists, and surprised spouses. He’s very good at what he does, when his jealous co-worker (Pastore) isn’t sabotaging him to make him look bad in front of the boss (Cedric).

Despite some recent troubles, Joe is handed the task of serving Sara Moore (Hurley) her divorce papers. Even with the anonymous tip Sara receives about his arrival, Joe manages to serve the papers. Fate conspires to land him on a bus with Sara as he returns to Manhattan. Here, Sara discovers that, because her cowboy husband (Campbell) served her papers from Texas, she’s unlikely to see a penny of his cattle baron millions.

So she offers Joe a better deal – if he’ll hold on to the papers, she’ll give him a cool million dollars to serve her husband first, from Manhattan. This will virtually guarantee her a 50 percent share of the husband’s fortune. Being an enterprising guy, Joe takes the task, and has to battle his co-workers, the cowboy husband, thuggish security details, and an impotent bull in order to track down Sara’s husband and hand him his divorce notice.

Matthew Perry’s comedic timing is unquestionable, and this performance is no exception. Hurley’s a bit of a surprise, holding her own opposite the Friends veteran. Bruce Campbell is a perennial Needcoffee fave, and his take on the swaggering, filthy rich cowboy is amusing throughout. Cedric and Pastore are likewise entertaining.

The real surprise here are the extras. For a somewhat formulaic comedy released to minimal box office success, the disc is absolutely loaded. The commentary with Hudlin is informative, and he shares the appropriate respect for Bruce Campbell’s cinematic genius. There are also a slew of deleted scenes, alternate takes, and outtakes, all of which have available director’s commentary as well. The making-of featurette is standard fare.

This is a genuinely funny movie, and well worth a rental. The extra features are expansive enough to make it worth keeping if you’re a fan of any of the principal actors.