“Date Movie” is the latest in a long string of crude movie spoofs. Alyson Hannigan plays Julia Jones, a reincarnation of a “Shallow Hal”-like Bridget Jones, who is desperately seeking love in the city. When Jones wins the heart of Dr. Grant Fonckyerdoder, played by Adam Campbell, the trouble comes in the form of both their parents, a la “Meet the Parents” and “Meet the Fockers,” as well as Fonckyerdoder’s old flame.

Andrew Schmeisser: With references to just about every date movie out there, Hannigan’s bad luck appeals to audiences in a definite farce style. Coupled with slapstick comedy and pure parody, “Date Movie” isn’t a thinking movie, but the majority of the humor comes from the multitude of references the movie had.

Jill Blackledge: I disagree with you. “Date Movie” definitely isn’t a smart film, but I didn’t really even find the parodies humorous. They’re funny to a certain extent for people who have seen the movies. However, I think references to other films work best when they’re done as subtle jabs, not as a brutal pelting of continuous movie connections seemingly thrown together.

AS: I saw it more as a game to see who could identify all the movie references. I mean, it started with “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” “Shallow Hal” and “Napoleon Dynamite” and ended with “Wedding Crashers” and “King Kong.” It even made references to some older movies, such as “When Harry Met Sally,” “High Fidelity” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

JB: I’ve seen almost all those films, recognized most of those references within “Date Movie,” and I still didn’t enjoy it. A movie such as “When Harry Met Sally” is now viewed as sort of a classic romantic comedy, and this didn’t parody it – it totally devastated it.

AS: I thought the acting was good. The actors obviously knew how to do a comedy and do it well. They took themselves seriously, which proved to be the trick.

JB: I didn’t think this movie could’ve been less serious. To me, it seemed the actors knew they were making a genre travesty, and a terrible one at that, and they didn’t bother to make it good. Of course, I don’t really know what they could’ve done to make it any better. Hannigan is condemning herself to a life of teen comedies, when I think she probably has the talent to do more quality work. I expect better things out of people such as Fred Willard and Jennifer Coolidge.

AS: One thing I did find was that there was a lack of consistency that was very distracting. Similar to the “Scary Movie” trilogy, the plot jumped around a lot, but I felt it was necessary to the spoofs. I haven’t seen one yet that doesn’t jump around or have ridiculous plot twists.

JB: I think there was no continuity because there was nothing to connect. There’s a reason all those movies “Date Movie” spoofs are separate movies. They’re not from the same movie, and they’re not meant to be. When all these shameless references are pieced together, you’re not going to come up with a very pretty picture.

AS: The obvious exaggerations were funny and clever, I thought, although they were crude and slightly gross at times. I did think the soundtrack, however, was something that helped the movie survive. The songs added another level to the movie’s barrage of parodies.

JB: This movie lost me almost the moment it started. Although it has a relatively short runtime for a film, it was painful to have to watch it for that long. Romantic comedies are a little much sometimes, but this just overstepped its boundaries.

AS: It was overall a good movie for college students and people who’ve seen the movies from previous generations. Younger people probably won’t pick up on as many of the film references. It’s not a smart-humored movie, but it is funny and clever. It’s not made for a very wide audience, but it does cover a lot of ground. As the title suggests, it’s a good date movie.

JB: I thought it was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. People who enjoy crude spoofs will probably enjoy it, but the overwhelmingness of blatant rip-offs became tiring. The parodies are good for a few laughs at first, but those die after a few minutes. This is definitely a film made for younger audiences, but I think the filmmakers need to give college students a little more credit than this. There’s a smart way to do a cruder comedy – “Wedding Crashers” – and there’s a terrible way – “Date Movie.”