Let me get this out of the way: I really, really wanted to like this movie.
I love 80’s; the music, movies and… I can’t think of anything else that has an ‘M’ to go with the 80’s. But rest assured, I love the 80’s. Wait, Manimal! That has an ‘M’ in it. Yes, I even loved Manimal.
Most of the cast is great; Topher Grace and Anna Faris are wonderful comedic actors.
The premise is good: Matt (Grace) is an underachieving MIT graduate whose slow-moving life choices led him to working at Suncoast Video. When his high-school dream girl, Tori (Teresa Palmer) walks into the store, Matt pretends to be work for Goldman Sachs in an attempt to impress her. It works and we follow Matt, his sister (Faris) and buddy (Dan Fogler) on one night of fun, debauchery and lies.
Sounds like something you’d want to see, right?
No.
While there are some funny moments, you don’t really care about any of the characters. Grace and Faris try hard but their efforts are for naught. Fogler (who I usually like – the guy won a Tony!) is just annoying and it looks like he’s trying way too hard. By the end of the movie, you just want him to go away.
There are some cameo moments that were wasted as well. Demitri Martin, Michael Ian Black and Michelle Trachtenberg (who has an actual role but only says like, 4 lines) try their best but it just comes off as stilted, bad humor.
And there’s a dance off in the movie. If I never see a dance off in a movie again, I will die a happy man.
The movie was filmed a while ago but the released was delayed because of studio objections. What were the objections? All the cocaine. I mean, its everywhere. But to be honest, that was the edgiest thing in the movie.
This is a rental.
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- Director: Michael Dowse
- Cast: Topher Grace, Anna Faris, Dan Fogler, Teresa Palmer, Chris Pratt, Michelle Trachtenberg, Lucy Punch, Michael Ian Black, Demetri Martin
- Writers: Jackie Filgo, Jeff Filgo
