User reviews

This "movie" is so amateurish it feels intentional. There's tons of unfortunate sexism, racism & homophobia, made worse by the fact that Shore is playing himself. The amount of star cameos implies a bunch of random favors were called-in. However, the oddity of this project's conceit is undeniable. A pseudo-genius mix of autobiography & complete fiction, it shows a Pauly Shore who is more self-aware & self-effacing than I would've imagined.

I should tell you up front that I am NOT a fan of Pauly Shore and his sort of humor. I only watched this film because a friend of mine, Angelo, recommended I see it. And, while I enjoyed portions of the film, I also thought it was quite annoying as well!

The film was directed and co-written by Shore. It is a mockumentary of sorts...and the idea behind it is clever. Unfortunately, Shore himself is so unlikable that a clever idea just wasn't enough for me.

The story begins around the time Shore made his famously godawful TV series for Fox...one that was canceled almost as soon as it was aired. As a result, he goes from having a career to having nothing...and suddenly all his friends hate him. A short time later, the ghost of Sam Kinison arrives and recommends to Pauly that he kills himself, as death celebrities suddenly become beloved. So, Shore fakes his death and initially the plan works...and folks all over the nation mourn. But what's next?

This film is testament to Shore's popularity long ago. After all, the film has more celebrity cameos that almost any other movie I can think of...though nearly all of these folks are C-listers. The non-C-listers are actually kind of funny, as they talk about how untalented and hateful Shore was! But then, you need to put up with the likes of Paris Hilton, Todd Bridges, Tommy Lee and Andy Dick...and you wonder just how much awfulness can be crammed into one film!

The film did not work for me but COULD have if they made Shore likable. Instead, he is annoying, spends much of his time playing with himself and visiting 'professional ladies' and pretty much unlikable. Had they shown him to be annoying on camera and likable off, it might have worked...especially when the film made fun of him and his shtick. Overall, a strange and somewhat watchable film with some good ideas....and many bad ones...and scenes which are bound to avoid most viewers unless they are die-hard Shore-a-holics.

Well, it wasn't a total waste of time. Never before have I seen a movie with over 60 recognized celebrities and as many more that I probably would never recognize. It's like watching an awards show.

Pauly Shore, with a splendid resume that includes such Razzie favorites as Encino Man, Jury Duty, and Bio-Dome, decides that he is better off dead. Only then does he get recognition. It is so much easier to say nice things about the dead.

There are some laughs hers, and you get to see Pamela Anderson, but that's about it. Shore doesn't do much more in his directorial debut that he does in his films.

Let me start by saying I have never had the urge to make a comment on IMDb yet - not for a great movie, and certainly not for a bad one. But this movie was so horrible I HAD to warn people.

I thought Pauly Shore was reasonably funny until this. Half of this movie isn't even trying to be humorous. It's Pauly Shore's desperate attempt at saving his career.

Yes there are tons of celebrity "cameos", but they are all so short, and I'd say maybe two of them are slightly funny. This movie plays as if it was written and directed by a no-talent former MTV "VJ". And it is.

Vanity project doesn't even begin to describe this Freudian nightmare. It's not so much a movie as a case study of what happens when a spoiled narcissist tries to regain his Biodome glory days. If you enjoy watching Pauly Shore whack off in the figurative, and literal sense, well this one's for you.

In short, it documents the life of an untalented guy who lucked out and now resents the world for getting bored of him. Oh, and that guy has mother issues up the ass, as every woman in the film (outside the cameos) is a whore, or his mother.

While there is a self mocking tone to the film, it doesn't veil his resentment of Hollywood and his fans. He makes fun of his crap movies and unfortunate looks, but maintains throughout the film that it is Hollywood's fault for being so short sighted, or his fans fault for being narrow minded hicks.

I actually went to this thinking it might be a good dark comedy about someone's 15 minutes of fame. Rather, I got an unadulterated, immature and shameless plea for personal and professional validation.

It's kind of funny to me that Pauly Shore actually believes he made a good film, so I gave it a 2.

How did this movie get made? At first I thought it was going to be a real documentary, with celebrities being told Pauly was dead and then commenting (obviously and hopefully maliciously) about what a worthless pile of crap he was.

But instead it was lumped together segments of Pauly jerking off, watching porn, talking to celebrities and running around Hollywood dressed like Muammar Ghaddafi. I guess it's probably a stretch to hope for some sense in any movie that claims to be produced, written, directed and starring Pauly Shore, but holy crap! It was complete and utter nonsense.

If this was meant to somehow reinvigorate his career he really stepped on his dick big time. I am officially stupider for having watched this waste of 82 minutes.

I too was smiling like the Cheshire cat when I first read the title of this film, wishing it was a doco. I actually want to see the title, "The guy who funds Pauly Shore's movies is DEAD", cos really there are others to blame for this. The fact that the Hilton sisters got a run in this goes to show the quality, and as for disgracing the late Sam Kinisson, Bill Hicks will be waiting for you in hell. I'm sorry, but anyone who tries to tell me anything this guy has ever done is anything near funny really needs to take a good hard look at themselves. I still think one of the best scenes in South Park was when Mrs Crabtree screamed at Pauly Shore and made him pee his pants. "Sit down and shut up!!!"

Wow, now that I have seen this movie I have to admit I think I'm a lot dumber than I was before, don't get me wrong I love Pauly Shore, but this wow I don't even know what say about this, Definitely a movie (if you could call it a movie) that I will not be recommending to my friends. Pauly what have you done with yourself? My fiancé and I rented this movie in hopes to have a laugh but the only thing I was laughing about was the fact that in Blockbuster there was actually two copies of this movie.... I just honestly don't know what to say I mean I just don't know. Now I'm really regretting not renting Shall We Dance, because that was what is was between. Please do not watch this movie there are certain side effects that occur 1. A need to say buuuuudy 2. A certain feeling of stupidness 3. a feeling of disbelief (as in I can't believe I wasted my money on this)

First, this movie isn't supposed to be an Oscar contender. Second, it's still a Pauly Shore movie, even if it's not like any other Pauly Shore movie. I really think the negative reviews of this movie were from people putting it on a pedestal before even watching it, expecting it to be extremely artsy, a biting satire on Hollywood or whatever other pretentious reasons they could come up with to hate the movie when it failed to play out like their fantasy they came up with simply by looking at the box and title.

It's not a bad movie. It's not a great movie, but it's got plenty of humor in it, both clever Hollywood in-jokes (with lots of celebrities making fun of themselves along with Pauly) and simple toilet humor. I really think all the 'film school dropouts' need to sit back and enjoy the movie for what it is, not for what it isn't. It's a Pauly Shore movie that doesn't play like a typical Pauly Shore movie, nothing more nothing less. And if you didn't like other Pauly Shore movies, you should at least still give it a shot because of this. Just don't expect it cure cancer or feed hungry children. It's still a Pauly Shore movie.

That may be damning this thing with faint praise. However, this is one of the funniest flicks I have seen in a while and I think it is an indication of the perverse nature of IMDb that it didn't rate higher. If this had been scripted by Charles Kaufman then all you sports jacket wearing mofo's would be worshipping like some kind of object of worship.

Great performances, and the alternative ending on the DVD is even funnier than the one in the film. This gives you a real feeling that there is more to Pauly Shore than sub Bill and Ted Fare like Bio-dome and hopefully he will get some better projects as a result of this film.

A narcissist is one who has excessive love or admiration of oneself. You'd think a person who writes, directs and stars in a movie about himself would fit that definition. But it's the exact opposite.

"Pauly Shore Is Dead" is a satirical, self-deprecating (self-loathing?) autobiography by a man who was once on top of the world but now he's flattened by it. The movie is mostly predictable, with silly gags and one-liners typical of the plastic 80s and early 90s partycoms we loved so much. Pauly stayed true to the genre that made him a hit.

But what I liked were the introspective moments peppered throughout, particularly toward the end, where we see that maybe Pauly could, in fact, be another Robin Williams or Adam Sandler... a typecast slapstick comedian who manages to break out of the mold and become a legitimate actor. The story is superficial, and if you choose to read between the lines--realizing that this movie itself is part of the autobiography--it's a grand experience.

Dozens of great cameo appearances make this film a treat. From the opening scene with arrogant Charlie Sheen, to the clips of angry Ben Stiller, to the scene with penniless Gerardo rapping on the side of the road (remember "Rico Suave"?), to the bit with ditzy Paris Hilton or clueless Britney Spears ("Pauly Shore? Oh you mean the guy who was on MTV *before* I was born!") there's tons of comedic eye candy, especially for the 90s pop culture crowd. I think that's the key to all the fun. You don't necessarily need to be a Pauly fan in order to be entertained, as long as you recognize some of the big & upcoming stars of the late 90s.

"Pauly Shore Is Dead" is not a big budget production, so don't expect polished Hollywood finesse. It seems like a lot was shot on digital cameras, giving it a cheap, homemade feel (deliberately?). The soundtrack is sorta cheezy (again, deliberately?) but with a few big hits like The Cars "Let the Good Times Roll", a tune by Eminem, and ironically a tune by Limp Bizkit, whose singer appears in a cameo handing a demo cd to Pauly and subsequently getting into a fight, yelling "You'll see! My band is going to make it big and we'll never ask you to be in our video!" (the irony being that Pauly has appeared in several).

So brush up on your 90s pop culture, then pop this movie in & have a blast. Movies I would compare this to are "Best in Show" (or any of the excellent Christopher Guest mockumentaries, "Napoleon Dynamite", and a weird, undiscovered dark comedy called "Circus Maximus ".

This movie could have quite possibly been the worst filmed movie that was ever publicly produced since the beginning of time. But you have to hand it to old Pauly...there were some really freakin' funny parts in there. I laughed several times but at the same time was thinking that this is the worst movie ever made. Anyway I suggest you go and watch it just so you can laugh and then say, "This is the worst movie ever made." then end up liking it actually! (thats sort of what happened to me) Thus being said, I give this movie a 3. If it weren't for all of the funny parts in it, this movie would get a negative score...but luckily they brought it up to a one. To put it simply, it had the worst acting and filming ever and was just like a guy who had a bunch of famous friends and put them in the movie. Anyway thats my ten lines

The cheap film production, a large list of celebrity cameos with little rhyme or reason, along with a bizzare egotistical plot. The dozen or so Pauly Shore fans may enjoy this bizarre mockumentary but for anyone else who has an hour and a half to spare watch a few episodes of Gwyneth Paltrows new Netflix series, she is just as arrogant and you will end up just as upset, but at least if you complain to your friends about Gwyneth Paltrow they will at least know who you are talking about.

Do not bother wasting your time or money on this product it really is appalling the plot is cumbersome and confused and the acting is diabolical.Its an attempt to get good actors together with a crap script and try to make it funny well I am sorry but this just isn't possible. The film transcends into ridiculous cameo performances but fails to make them spark the film into life how they managed to get so many comic actors on board with this script is beyond me because quite frankly the film is just not funny. Its a tired story anyway which has been done many times before and surely better though I haven't watched this type of film as I know what it is going to be like boring and unfunny.

As a non American I've never ever heard of this guy before. I came here in 2022 after seeing a video of 'what happened to Paul's shore' tgat cropped up on you tube and had to see if he was un funny and un talented but amazing guy successful as tge clip claimed this, back in 2003, was meant to be him comeback redemption movie and it is incredibly, for two things, first, tge incredible amount of cakes from famous people he managed to call in and second how unbelievable bad, considering it's a 'comeback' movie, it is made. Tge directing, shooting, lighting and editing are plain awful. Not having any nostalgic or emotional attachment to the guy from the 90s I can safely say those that do are woefully misguided. This brand of 'comedy' is just tragic. It's so bad. What were you all thinking. As far as I can see this guys talent back then was that his mum owned a famous comedy club and basically that gave him a career, albeit a limited one. Once that had run it's course and the Pauly gravy train had run it's course, it was all over in about 7 years. Not bad really for someone with little to no talent. He had a good run. So don't feel sorry for Pauly. Not only is he still working but he got to star in a load of movies. Most people would give their right arm to have had that life back then. His life was so good he was able to pull together this group of celebs including Pamela Anderson and Charlie Sheen to make this amateur looking crap. So, 21 years later did it work? Nahhhhh. Of course not. He's still as obscure to anyone outside 1990s US as he ever was. He's gone back to tge clubs and still doing stand up. Is he funny in 2022? You tell me. Judging by this I've no desire to find out.

First off, let me say that I was never a fan of Pauly Shore. In fact, I could never understand how it was even possible that someone this unfunny was able to have a career as a comedian, but hey ... Despite my claims of hatred, though, I still managed to watch everything he'd done, in some kind of a masochistic, painful cycle, and my hatred for him continued to grow and grow.

So it was inevitable that I would eventually catch 'Pauly Shore Is Dead', but what was surprising is how truly funny the film turned out to be. It's not perfect, by any stretch, and has a few moments that seem a little forced and even sentimental (such as the guardian angel visits), but all in all, I have to say this is one hell of a funny movie, and whether you like him or not, I think it would be hard not to admit some kind of respect for a man who is so willing to make fun of himself.

It is his sense of humor about himself that ultimately makes the film work, and I must admit that between the self-effacing plot line and the surprising amount of work that went into making the film, Shore has really gone up in my book. I still think he might be in the wrong line of business, but at least he's grounded enough in reality to realize that possibility as well.

Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys watching any celebrity spoof themselves, as the film is loaded with numerous amusing cameos. Also check out the deleted scenes, a highlight being the rendition of the song 'It's Been A While'. Check it out, and you may be as pleasantly surprised as I was.

Good work, Wiez!

Pauly Shore is one of my favorite comedians, and probably long forgotten about. Stoners in the nineties have turned into fast food workers who no longer know or need Pauly, and since he's milked his fifteen minutes of fame, no one really has followed the man himself since the late nineties most likely. Which is probably why he made this mockumentary faking his own death. Leave it to Pauly! Pauly Shore is Dead is just what it sounds like; Pauly Shore's career has taken a turn for the worst, and he is desperately begging his friend Kurt Loder, a more successful actor, for any role. Pauly begins to realize his purpose on this planet is none, and after getting some strangely morbid advice from Sam Kinison, Pauly fakes his death. This becomes a genius plan on his part because now he sees how the world reacts to him being dead. Surprisingly, everyone is sympathetic, and Pauly proves death is better than life itself.

Along the way, Pauly captures the reactions of celebrities of music and film like Pam Anderson, Ja Rule, Chris Rock, Carrot Top, Kurt Loder, etc. The interviews are very humorous, and sometimes make me forget I'm watching a film about Pauly Shore. Todd Bridges also makes a very memorable, and humorous cameo. The stars make the film without a doubt.

There isn't too much to say about this. I am a Pauly Shore fan, but it saddened me to watch him fake his own death. I enjoyed Bio-Dome and In the Army Now, and think there are far worse actors than Shore. He is rather funny in this film, and asks a very good/deep question in this film - "would you rather be a dead genius, or a living idiot?" Living idiot for myself.

But obviously this will spawn a line of more mockumentaries by Shore. I think his VJ, MTV, stoner comedy movie days are over. That was clear by Pauly Shore's Adopted that came out a few years after this.

Starring: Pauly Shore, Ashley L. Anderson, Pamela Anderson, Camille Anderson, Adam Sandler, Eminem, Charlie Sheen, Todd Bridges, and Ben Stiller. Directed by: Pauly Shore.

It's always great to see someone who can laugh at himself, and even make fun of himself in ways that most people aren't brave enough to do. Pauly is totally exposing what has to be at least a little painful: His "has-been-ness". It's too bad this wasn't able to be released in theaters. My boyfriend even thought it was really funny, and he's always despised Pauly Shore's movies and "weasel" stuff. Many will also find it at least somewhat inspirational, his being so vulnerable and open. Lots and lots of familiar faces too, plenty of great cameos. It's hard to believe how many people came on board to help out with this project. Check it out, chances are you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Sometimes death is the best thing to happen to an artist or other people with potential fame and admiration. For centuries, figures from Vincent Van Gogh to Martin Luther King, Jr. to Michael Jackson have been elevated to greater heights, or have become more appreciated, because they are no longer on this earth. All their faults become virtually forgotten or forgiven, and their strengths, or the reasons they became famous in the first place, come quickly to the public's consciousness. The exceptions to this rule perhaps include serial killers.

Pauly Shore, in his directorial debut (if that fact doesn't scare you away from this film already), had this idea in mind when he made the mockumentary "Pauly Shore Is Dead". In it, Shore plays himself, and fakes his own death for the sole purpose of getting free publicity and a new appreciation. Unfortunately, Shore gives very little reason why he would be idolized to the extent of John Belushi or Sam Kinison after he dies. This movie is probably his strongest work so far, but that's really not saying much.

Shore starts the movie out by giving a brief synopsis of his life and career, while not being shy to admit that his mother, Mitzi Shore, owned the Comedy Store, where many legendary comedians from Andy Kaufmann to Jim Carrey to Sam Kinison got their big breaks. This family connection contributed to his fame during the 90's, but admittedly wasn't the sole contributor. No doubt, for a few years in the 90's, Shore was a major movie star. Siskel & Ebert thought he was the anti-Christ (check out atthemoviestv.com, type in Shore's name, and see for yourself. It's pretty funny.), but he still made comedies that were modest hits.

After 1997, Shore's career crashed and burned. This is where the synopsis ends and the movie begins, shortly after Pauly Shore's sitcom "Pauly" (originally aired on Fox) premieres. Needless to say, the show was a flop. In the movie, Shore blames the sitcom itself for his ultimate demise, and doesn't appear to acknowledge that maybe his "Hey buuuddy!" dumb guy shtick may have gotten old after a while.

No matter, though, Shore whines his way through the rest of the movie, making no real attempt to revive his career or even (God forbid!) reinvent himself. It's only through a meeting with the ghost of Sam Kinison (by a really good Kinison impersonator who's so good, you'd think Kinison himself faked his death) that Shore decides to revive his career by killing himself, or at least pretending to do so.

He receives the vast media attention he wanted, with his picture on magazine covers and interviews with celebrities (all of whom play themselves in more cameos than you can shake a stick at) saying what a misunderstood genius Shore was. Since Michael Jackson died recently as of the date this review is written, these kinds of post-death accolades are very familiar. Ultimately, though, Shore is caught, and is sent to jail for reasons not explained very well in the film. People who fake their death don't go to jail unless there's insurance fraud involved. There was no mention of insurance in this movie, although that would have been an intriguing plot point.

Unfortunately, Shore didn't think the premise all the way through before shooting. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of things he didn't think through before shooting. For instance, in a scene that takes place in 1997, a bus pulls in front of Shore that has a poster on it for the movie "Resident Evil", which came out in 2002!

More than that, though, since Shore has been out of the A-list spotlight for a decade now, you never know how much of this movie is fact or fiction. Of course Shore's career fizzled after 1997, but did he really lose his house? Did he really move back in with his mother?

It would have been nice for Shore to establish these facts, and be a little bit more honest about how losing a career sucks. He could have made an honest, funny movie rooted in truth, but really blinded that ambition with a premise he couldn't handle, a boatload of celebrity cameos (almost too many unnecessary ones), and really annoying egomania that I'm not sure was supposed to be funny.

A recurring line you hear a lot during the movie is when Shore approaches a famous friend (like Charlie Sheen or Vern "Minime" Troyer, who play themselves) and asks them, "Is there a part in the movie for me? (**Insert Long, Noticeable Pause Here**) Dude, is there a part in the movie for me!?!" Did Shore think this was funny? Had he not heard of an agent? Is he really as dumb in real life as he was in "In The Army Now"?

This movie, which could have been refreshingly funny, is guilty of too many assumptions. One such part is when Shore, while in jail, is put into the hole and has a clairvoyant conversation with Adam Sandler (who provided his own voice in this movie). Both comedians contemplate about how they made the same kinds of movie, played the same kinds of stupid people, yet Sandler is still a high commodity and Shore isn't.

Although some people loved Sandler during his "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore" days and hate him now, Sandler's still famous because he grew up. Sure he's made some bad movies, but if he kept playing the same kind of character as Billy Madison, his career would be equally as dead.

What Shore assumes (I assume) is that playing the same character over and over again would reap many rewards. Either he assumes that, or his self in the movie assumes that. There's no clear distinction, and that's really what hurts the movie the most.

Pauly Shore Is Dead (2003)

** (out of 4)

The entire gimmick of this "documentary" is that Pauly Shore realizes that he can't get a job anywhere so the only way to get any respect is to fake his death. After his "death" he starts getting talked about as a comic genius but his cover is blown and there's a backlash when people realize he's not really dead. I was twelve years old when Shore's career took off and I must admit that I enjoyed both ENCINO MAN and SON IN LAW. I continued to watch his movies but stuff like IN THE ARMY NOW, JURY DUTY and BIO-DOME were just three of the worst comedies ever made in history so it's good to report that this movie is much better than them. Shore directed, produced, wrote and stars in this comedy that is pretty much a spoof of Hollywood and it tries to answer the question as to why some fall and get back up while others just stay dead. The most amazing thing about this picture is that Shore got an incredible number of stars to line up for cameo appearances and this includes Charlie Sheen, Chris Rock, Tommy Chong, Pamela Anderson, Britney Spears, Todd Bridges, Carson Daly, Ellen DeGeneres, Andy Dick, Snoop Dogg, Dustin Diamond, Fred Durst, Dr. Dre, Corey Feldman, Paris and Nicky Hilton, Clint Howard, Kato Kaelin, Mario Lopez, Tommy Lee, Michael Madsen, Bill Maher, Jason Mewes, Adam Sandler, Tom Sizemore, Jerry Springer, Vince Vaughn, Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Stiller and Sean Penn. Yes, that Sean Penn. The amazing number of cameos here does make you wonder why these friends couldn't have gotten their buddy Pauly into a few more movies. Or, perhaps this was their way of helping and getting him to shut up about asking them to get him into movies. Either way, the end result really isn't anything special as it's clear Shore needed a better writing to whip the story together and make better sense out of it. I'm sure a more talented director could have made a much funnier film but PAULY SHORE IS DEAD works as a minor film that will mainly appeal to those who want to see all these stars and to see what Shore has been up to.