Entertainment
Raunchy, R-Rated 90s Comedy So Filthy That Its Stars Want You To Forget It Exists
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Mid to late 90s sci-fi comedies had a lot of fun with the “unsanctioned medical experiments going terribly wrong” plot, and with pretty solid results. 1996’s PG-13 rated The Nutty Professor cleaned house at the box office with $274 million, as did 1997’s G-rated Flubber with $178 million. Both of these family-friendly remakes proved there was a real market for this kind of humor. So much so that Marlon Wayans wanted in on the action, but with a little more R-rated edge in the form of 1998’s Senseless.
If there’s ever been a word to describe Senseless, look no further than the title. All of the familiar “unsanctioned medical experiment gone wrong” beats are here, but with a whole lot more flatulence, low-brow humor, and sexual innuendo. Senseless earned just $13 million at the box office against its reported $15 million budget, effectively putting it in the red. Even worse, it currently sits on Rotten Tomatoes’ wall of shame with an unthinkable 6 percent critical score, alongside a slightly more forgiving 45 percent approval rating on the Popcornmeter.
If you’re looking for the kind of punisher that performed so poorly it now only exists on ad-supported streaming, probably in a last-ditch attempt to recoup losses, Senseless is exactly what you should seek out. Personally, I don’t hate the film, but you really have to be in the right mood to choke this one down.
Co-Written By Craig Mazin
Co-written by Craig Mazin, best known for Chernobyl and The Last of Us, Senseless is a far cry from what the filmmaker would later prove himself capable of. Honestly, you can say the same about Marlon Wayans, David Spade, Matthew Lillard, and Rip Torn. The problem with Senseless is not the talent involved, but the cinematic experiment they embarked on here. They are all funny people in the right context, but somehow never quite figure out how to channel that energy.
Senseless centers on Darryl Witherspoon (Marlon Wayans), a struggling economics student working multiple odd jobs to make ends meet while also supporting his family back home. To stay in the black, Darryl engages in questionable practices like selling blood, plasma, and other bodily fluids to the appropriate venues for extra cash. When he learns about a controversial drug experiment overseen by Dr. Thomas Wheedon (Brad Dourif), Darryl jumps at the chance to get paid.
The experiment is simple on paper. Darryl injects a glowing green substance into his butt, which increases each of his five senses tenfold. Here’s the catch. If he messes up the dosage, he will lose one sense entirely while the remaining four go completely out of control. As you’d expect, this is exactly what happens in Senseless.
David Spade Doing His Usual Slappable Jerk Shtick
The primary conflict outside of the questionable chemicals coursing through Darryl’s bloodstream comes in the form of David Spade’s Scott Thorpe. Scott comes from a life of privilege and serves as Darryl’s direct competitor in an academic competition overseen by Randall Tyson (Rip Torn). Whoever wins gets fast tracked to a high paying Wall Street job, something Darryl desperately needs.
Spade is fully typecast as the same slappable jerk he played in films like PCU, Tommy Boy, and Black Sheep, and you get more of the same here. As much as I hate Scott Thorpe as a character, I have to give Spade credit where it’s due. He plays this kind of role so convincingly that I genuinely hated him as a person for years because I didn’t think it was humanly possible to fake that level of smugness.
At first, Darryl uses his heightened senses to impress Randall and undermine Scott, seemingly recalling stock figures from memory when he’s actually just reading a newspaper planted across the room that he can zoom in on. But things quickly spiral when Darryl is struck with sudden bouts of blindness, hypersensitive smell and taste, and the ability to hear what goes on in the women’s room in graphic detail as his love interest, Janice (Tamara Taylor), chats with her gassy friend behind closed doors.
Meanwhile, Darryl’s roommate Tim (Matthew Lillard), a straight-edge punk and hockey player, suspects he’s abusing hard drugs and intervenes whenever possible to keep him from going down the wrong path. If I had to describe Lillard’s vibe here, it’s what Machine Gun Kelly thought looked cool and then based his entire pop punk persona on.
Why It Failed
Senseless is a fascinating failure because everyone involved reliably brings exactly what you expect from them. The problem is that in this context, we get too much toilet humor and too many gross-out gags without fully leaning into their characterization. There are plenty of cheap laughs, most of them built on farts and funny faces. As a concept, Senseless has potential, but it simply does not work as a feature-length film because those gags can only stretch so far without being properly grounded.
I could easily see Senseless working as a recurring sketch where Darryl, or someone like him, keeps getting into ridiculous situations thanks to the drug, with the whole thing wrapped up in a few minutes. Some of the standalone gags would absolutely work in that format, but that’s not what we got. Instead, the film becomes an exhausting exercise in seeing just how far it’s willing to push things.
Senseless is streaming for free on Pluto TV as of this writing.
Entertainment
Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on February 9
Tonight marks the Third Quarter Moon, halfway between full and new. We see exactly half of the Moon lit up, with illumination on the left-hand side. So, there’s around a 50% chance of spotting some features on the Moon’s surface, what can you see?
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Monday, Feb. 9, the Moon phase is Third Quarter. According to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide, 652% of the Moon will be lit up tonight.
But what can you see? With no visual aids, you should be able to see the Mare Imbrium, Copernicus Crater, and the Aristarchus Plateau. With binoculars, you’ll also be able to see Clavius, and the Archimedes Craters, and the Grimaldi Basin. If you have a telescope, you’ll also be able to see the Apollo 14 landing spot, the Schiller Crater, and the Rima Ariadaeus.
When is the next Full Moon?
The next Full Moon will be on March 3.
What are Moon phases?
NASA says that a complete lunar cycle takes around 29.5 days. This is the time the Moon needs to orbit Earth once. During this cycle, it goes through eight phases. While the same side of the Moon always faces Earth, the visible portion that is illuminated changes as the Moon travels along its orbit. The varying amount of sunlight reflected off the Moon is what causes it to appear fully lit, partially lit, or nearly dark at different stages. The eight phases of the Moon are:
New Moon – The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it’s invisible to the eye).
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Waxing Crescent – A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter – Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.
Waxing Gibbous – More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
Full Moon – The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.
Waning Gibbous – The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)
Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) – Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.
Waning Crescent – A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
Entertainment
Microsoft Office 2024 for Mac and PC gets smarter with AI, now 60% off
TL;DR: Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for Mac or PC is on sale for $99.97 through March 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT, offering 60% off Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more.
$99.97
$249.99
Save $150.02
If your work revolves around documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and email, Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business brings those core tools together with updated features designed to keep everyday tasks moving efficiently. The lifetime license for Mac or PC is priced at $99.97, representing a 60% discount off the regular price, and ends on March 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Included are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook — the familiar lineup, installed directly on your device for both online and offline use. Office 2024 brings performance improvements across the whole software. In Excel, for example, working with large datasets or handling multiple workbooks is quicker and more reliable. For anyone who routinely works with numbers or builds reports, this added speed can make daily tasks less tedious.
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Content creation tools have also been refreshed. PowerPoint now supports recording presentations with voice narration, video, and closed captions, which is a plus for remote meetings, online classes, or sharing presentations after the fact. Word adds Focus Mode to help reduce distractions as you write, alongside AI-powered suggestions to sharpen up your prose. Built-in research features keep citations and references at your fingertips, so you can stay in the zone without switching tabs.
Microsoft’s Fluent Design system brings Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook a cohesive look and feel. Touch and pen support is now smoother on tablets and convertibles, and customizable templates and themes make it easy to create polished work without a designer’s eye.
Collaboration tools are built in as well. Real-time co-authoring allows multiple people to work on the same file simultaneously, with chat, comments, and version history helping track changes and feedback. Deeper integration with Microsoft Teams centralizes file sharing and communication within the Office environment.
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Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business is designed for users who already rely on Microsoft’s core apps and want updated features without changing how they work. For $99.97 through March 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT, the current deal makes it easier to step into the latest version at a lower cost, especially if those tools are already part of your daily routine.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Super Bowl LX performers: Who is singing the anthems
The Super Bowl LX halftime show featuring Bad Bunny and the Super Bowl pre-show featuring Green Day may be taking up all the attention when it comes to Super Bowl performances — and rightfully so! Everyone is looking forward to what the internationally known artists will do or say regarding President Trump and ICE.
However, other musical artists are performing at this year’s Super Bowl as well.
Charlie Puth to sing national anthem
Kicking the show off with the U.S. national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner” is the Grammy-nominated singer Charlie Puth. Puth’s debut single, “Marvin Gaye,” featuring Meghan Trainor, was a Billboard chart hit upon its 2015 release. Puth has since had other hits, including “We Don’t Talk Anymore (feat. Selena Gomez),” “Attention,” and “Nothing But Trouble.”
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Brandi Carlile to perform patriotic song
Next up, singing “America the Beautiful” is singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. Carlile has a whopping 11 Grammys and two Emmy awards. Her biggest hit was 2007’s “The Story,” but she is also known for songs like “Broken Horses” and “The Joke.”
Coco Jones to sing Black national anthem
Grammy Award-winning R&B artist Coco Jones will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black national anthem. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” has become a Super Bowl staple since 2021, when Alicia Keys performed it at the event. Singer and actress Ledisi performed the song at last year’s game.
Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on February 9
Microsoft Office 2024 for Mac and PC gets smarter with AI, now 60% off
