Why Scream’s Jamie Kennedy Just Did His First Comedy Film In Years

Jamie Kennedy is probably best known to movie fans for his appearance in the original Scream films, where he played the role of Randy, the guy who who knew everything about horror movies. Randy was the comic relief in the series because Jamie Kennedy himself was a comedian and if you knew his name before or after his time with Scream it was likely because of his comedic work. However, the actor hasn't actually been part of a major comedy film for a few years, but the new movie Last Call was something the actor really wanted to be part of. Namely because it spoke to him personally.

Last Call is a story about a man who returns to his hometown with a decision to either bring his family bar back from the dead, or knock the building down and redevelop the space. Speaking with CinemaBlend, Jamie Kennedy explains that both he and the film's producer grew up together in the same neighborhood where the movie is set. So he wanted to be part of the film so he could show people the place he came from. Kennedy explains...

Sometimes your career goes in waves with different things you're doing. I've been doing different TV and stuff and then this movie was independently made. It was a producer who's really his baby. I knew him from where we grew up and it's about my neighborhood. So I was really lucky to be a part of it and really excited to kinda show the world where I came from.

In this particular case, the neighborhood in question is located in Philadelphia. Considering his connection to the location, and the fact that one of the producers was also from the same area, it's not surprising the actor wanted to be part of this story. The film is apparently a passion project for the producer who wanted to represent his home on film, and Jamie Kennedy can help add to that authenticity.

Many of us have probably had that experience that comes with seeing a place we know well represented in a movie. Whether you know San Francisco or New York City like the back of your hand, it's cool to see the places you've been to yourself on screen, and it's even fun to laugh at the movie when it takes liberties with those places. One has to imagine that actually being in a movie that is representing a place you know well has to be that much more fun, especially when there's a passion from the filmmakers in representing that place right.

Last Call also stars Jeremy Piven, Taryn Manning, Zach McGowen, and Bruce Dern. It's currently available to view through VOD platforms.

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.