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The Smosh comedy duo of Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox stars in Smosh: The Movie.

Even a decade after the website became a daily fixture in the lives of anyone who spends any time browsing the web, the term ‘YouTube star’ still seems to be a case of damning with faint praise. Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla, the duo behind the comedy group Smosh, attempt to turn that into actual stardom with their feature debut, Smosh: The Movie. It is easy to see the hand-wringing over two kids from YouTube videos starring in a feature film, as if it means the eventual awarding of an Oscar to David After Dentist, but none of this is warranted. Smosh: The Movie is a clever movie perfectly suited to the teenagers who might make up the Smosh fanbase.

The film centers around Anthony and Ian’s attempt to get an embarrassing video of Anthony removed from YouTube before his high school crush can view it. In a twist that recalls both Being John Malkovich and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Anthony and Ian must enter YouTube itself through a portal at the company’s offices and change the video so that it no longer features the embarrassing material. The foil to Keanu Reeves from the Bill & Ted movies, Alex Winter, is appropriately on hand as director to pass the torch to the Smosh boys.

Smosh: The Movie contains material no more offensive than anything on YouTube, making it ideal entertainment for young teenagers. The film never contains images more explicit than women in bikinis, and the profanity would be tame for even an elementary school playground. Even when the humor in the film leans toward the sophomoric, it deserves a pass considering the film is made explicitly for the enjoyment of actual sophomores, while still containing enough wit for adults.

Hecox and Padilla have built a long-lasting, durable brand, so Smosh: The Movie doesn’t feel as exploitative as, for example, a Grumpy Cat movie. This is a natural move for two funny performers, not the first step before Google devours Hollywood and forces the release of The Mystery of the Black and Gold Dress starring Alex from Target.

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Smosh: The Movie

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Available for digital download July 24

3 Stars

Films are rated on a scale of 5 stars (must-see), 4 stars (exceptional), 3 stars (solid), 2 stars (average) and 1 star (unworthy).

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