In the post Roger Ebert era where proper film criticism is few and far between, Half in the Bag is one of the funniest and most insightful film review shows on Youtube. A comedic spin on the traditional film review format, Half In the Bag blurs the lines between sitcom, satire and film discussion. The setup is thus, Mike and Jay are employees/owners of a business called Lightning Fast VCR Repair. Seemingly their only client is Harry S. Plinkett, a blind, aging, senile old man, who is somewhat oblivious to their inability to do their jobs productively and competently. Mike and Jay take advantage of Plinkett, by using their time to bum around and discuss films.
The fictional narrative that is wrapped around the reviews gives the presenters leeway to satirize the films they are reviewing. One of the most notorious examples of this is their review of the film Movie 43 where they describe various jaw droppingly disgusting scenes while hailing the film as a masterwork of comedy. Upon closer inspection it is clear the reviewers are deliberately making these scenes up with scenarios that are more horrifying than funny.
Perhaps their most infamous and best moment then is their review of Jack and Jill. The review is a breathtakingly monumental takedown of Adam Sandler's film career covering everything from the non existent humor to the outright disturbing level of product placement. Mike then assesses that the film seems to have been made soley as a front for embezzlement between Sony and its associates. Jay -citing the minimum level of effort in the production- then questions whether it should even be called a film.
Half in the Bag is written and produced by Red Letter Media, a production company that is most well known for the highly acclaimed and terrifyingly well informed Star Wars Prequel reviews which collectively make up one of the finest reviews ever assembled on the Internet. In Half in the Bag, Red Letter Media finds a worthy successor and provides proof that quality film criticism will survive the demise of the publishing industry, and the onslaught of studio funded reviews.
