This movie is a little bit better than I thought it would be, which is notable since Paul Rudd movies usually look good but disappoint (How Do You Know, Knocked Up, My Idiot Brother), and it is no less than the third straight performance I’ve liked Jennifer Aniston in (after The Switch and Horrible Bosses), which is truly earth shattering.
What Works: I’m not really a big Paul Rudd fan, and consider him to be a really limited actor, but he does a nice job here. There’s a hint of anger under his confused double-takes and smug asides here that was missing in How Do You Know and My Idiot Brother. Playing a character who’s more obviously “unlikable” he’s actually much more likable. Aniston doesn’t do anything we’ve never seen her do before but she’s decent. Then of course there’s the aces supporting cast made up of the usual weirdos from Comedy Central and Reno 911, who add occasional bits of life.
What Doesn’t Work: This movie practically evaporates as you’re watching it. I really can barely remember it and it’s not yet been a full week since I watched it. It’s a decent way to spend a couple hours, but most of America ignored it when it first opened, and I don’t think they’ll be kicking themselves at the end of the year.
What I Would Have Done Differently: See, once again, the problem with a movie that you can barely remember is that you also can’t say what you would have changed. I guess the obvious point is “Make it more memorable,” but that’s so vague it’s not really worth saying, not to mention that same point could be applied to 90 percent of Hollywood movies.
Great review!