Chicken Park

{{Infobox film

| name = Chicken Park

| image = Chicken Park.jpg

| writer = Gino Capone
Galliano Juso

| starring = {{Plainlist|

Jerry Calà
Demetra Hampton
Rossy de Palma
Lawrence Steven Meyers

}}

| director = Jerry Calà

| cinematography = Blasco Giurato

| producer = Galliano Juso

| distributor = Variety Distribution

| released = {{Film date|1996|04|05|Turkey|1996|08|21|Spain|df=y}}

| runtime = 93 minutes

| country = Italy
Dominican Republic

| music = Giovanni Nuti
Umberto Smaila

| language = English

| budget =

}}

Chicken Park is a 1994 comedy parody film directed by and starring Jerry Calà that parodies various films, especially the 1993 film Jurassic Park.{{cite web|title=Scheda del film Comico di Jerry Calà|url=http://www.ilcancello.com/film-comici/8408-chicken-park-jerry-cala.html|publisher=Il Cancello|access-date=25 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302233451/http://www.ilcancello.com/film-comici/8408-chicken-park-jerry-cala.html|archive-date=2 March 2013|url-status=dead}} The film is Calà's directorial debut.{{cite web|title=When Comedy Fails: Two reviews by SC magazine contributor Mike Sullivan|date=23 January 2008 |url=http://shockcinema.blogspot.com/2008/01/when-comedy-fails-two-reviews-by-sc.html|publisher=Shock Cinema Magazine|access-date=25 February 2013}}

Synopsis

When Vladimiro's (Jerry Calà) chicken is stolen while he is in the Dominican Republic for a cockfight, he immediately begins trying to get it back. During his searches he discovers an entire zoo full of gigantic chickens.{{cite book|author1=Pino Farinotti |author2=Rossella Farinotti |title=Il Farinotti 2012. Dizionario di tutti i film|year=2011 |publisher=Newton Compton, 2011|isbn=978-88-5413-182-8}}

Cast

Jerry Calà as Vladimiro
Demetra Hampton as Sigourney
Rossy de Palma as Necrophelia Addams
Lawrence Steven Meyers as Dr. Eggs
Alessia Marcuzzi as Airplane hostess

Production

The film was shot between Santo Domingo, L'Aquila and Rome.{{cite news|last=Giovanna Grassi|title=Cala' : con i polli sfido Spielberg|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/1994/gennaio/12/Cala_con_polli_sfido_Spielberg_co_0_9401123850.shtml#|access-date=27 February 2013|newspaper=Corriere della Sera|date=12 January 1994}} It was filmed in English.{{cite news|last=F. C.|title=Attenti al gallo, è un vero gigante|newspaper=La Stampa|date=10 March 1995|page=27}} The budget was two and a half billion lire.{{cite news|last=Giovanna Grassi|title=Cala' : mi gioco Demetra contro Lorella|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/1995/marzo/09/Cala_gioco_Demetra_contro_Lorella_co_8_9503091442.shtml|access-date=27 February 2013|newspaper=Corriere della Sera|date=9 March 1995}} The film marked both the directorial debut of Calà and the film debut of actress Alessia Marcuzzi.{{cite news|last=Andrea Scalzi|title=Ero "bona" ora sono timida|newspaper=La Stampa|date=29 December 2005|page=29}} It was also the last work as special effects artist for Antonio Margheriti.{{cite book|author1=Luca M. Palmerini |author2=Gaetano Mistretta |author3=Margot Winick |title=Spaghetti nightmares|year=1996 |publisher=Fantasma Books, 1996|isbn=09-6349-827-4}} Calà had previously announced his debut as director with a completely different project, a biographical drama film about Umberto Bossi and Lega Nord, Il Longobardo, that was eventually abandoned.

Parodies

The film mainly parodies Jurassic Park but also references many outer films and cultural icons in some gags, such as The Addams Family, Home Alone, The Deer Hunter, Full Metal Jacket, Sister Act, Pretty Woman, Hot Shots!, Il Postino: The Postman and Edward Scissorhands. Moreover, Pope John Paul II appears as a washer.

Release

Chicken Park premiered at the 14th edition of Fantafestival, in which it entered the main competition.{{cite news|title=Roma capitale dell'horror: saranno le donne a scegliere il mostro più " bello "|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/1994/giugno/08/Roma_capitale_dell_horror_saranno_co_0_94060810177.shtml|access-date=27 February 2013|newspaper=Corriere della Sera|date=8 June 1994}} Due to production problems, it was not released theatrically in Italy. Broadcast by Italia 1, at its television premiere the film was seen by over 4 million people.{{cite news|last=Alessandra Comazzi|title=Nell'orticello di Jerry Calà un gallo non è un dinosauro|newspaper=La Stampa|date=12 March 1995|page=25}} The film was released in Turkey on 5 April 1996 as Piliç parki and subsequently in Spain as Pollo jurásico.

Reception

Critical reception for the film was generally negative, with L'espresso calling the film "trash" and MDZ Online commenting that the film was of such poor quality that it had the potential to become a cult classic.{{cite web|title=Joyas del "cine basura": "Pollo Jurásico", esas películas malas que da gusto mirar|url=http://www.mdzol.com/nota/350555-joyas-del-cine-basura-pollo-jurasico-esas-peliculas-malas-que-da-gusto-mirar/|publisher=MDZ Online|access-date=25 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092133/http://www.mdzol.com/nota/350555-joyas-del-cine-basura-pollo-jurasico-esas-peliculas-malas-que-da-gusto-mirar/|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}{{cite book|title=L'Espresso, Volume 42, Issues 1-8|year=1996|publisher=L'Espresso Publishing|page=97|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XD7mAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Chicken+Park%22+Cal%C3%A0}} Film critic Marco Giusti described the film as "supertrash", "more stupid than funny" and a film in which the best actor probably is Jo, the chicken owned by Calà.{{cite book|last=Marco Giusti|title=Dizionario dei film italiani stracult|year=1999|publisher=Sperling & Kupfer, 1999|isbn=88-200-2919-7}} According to film critic Paolo Mereghetti the film fails almost entirely to raise a smile and the English version of the film, with Calà self-dubbing himself, is a must for trash-lovers.{{cite book|last=Paolo Mereghetti|title=Il Mereghetti|date=28 May 2024 |publisher=B.C. Dalai Editore, 2010|isbn=978-88-6073-626-0}} According to author Massimo Bertarelli, the film is just made of "exasperating drollery and depressing sloppiness".{{cite book|last=Massimo Bertarelli|title=Millecinquecento film da evitare|year=2003|publisher=Gremese Editore, 2003|isbn=88-8440-264-6}}