Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Wanderlust

The plot of Wanderlust goes something like this: a hot couple living in New York City and loving it has to uproot due to sudden life changes and they find themselves among the peace-loving hippies of a commune in the middle of nowhere in Georgia. You've got Jennifer Anniston and Paul Rudd, the two actors who define "sexy young couple", and it is produced by Judd Apatow and written by David Wain, both of whom have been involved in the success of many raunchy comedies. What can go wrong, really, which such a dynamite combination? All I can really say is that sometimes a joke gets taken way too far, and sometimes there are some things that an audience does not really want to see. For example, I did not really want to experience the full-frontal nudity of a large, elderly gentleman. I do not think I am alone when I say that. His nudity was simply adding to the many, many other people that are stark naked throughout the film. And no, all you men out there, this does not include Miss Anniston.

I was a bit skeptical upon entering the theater to see Wanderlust. I knew it got mixed reviews, and mostly poor ones at that. However, I needed a good laugh and had already been to see a lot of what else was out. So, being the accepting individual that I am, I decided to give it a try. I admit that I was pleasantly surprised- the first hour or so of the movie was relatively funny (nothing to make me short of breath laughing, mind you, but all of the typical jokes in films like these are good for a hearty chuckle). Anniston's real-life boyfriend, Justin Theroux, impressed me with his acting- he certainly knows how to hilariously portray a hippie. Of course, the jokes in these films are nothing with much substance, but sometimes it is nice to see a film like that. We all need our escapes from the serious aspects of our lives.
As I said, I was amused for about the first hour of the film. However, my opinion turned on a dime when Wain took one joke WAY too far, to the point where I just felt completely awkward watching the events unfolding on screen. It was one of those scenes which drags on far longer than the audience wants it to. From then on, everything seemed like a complete miss, and I really just wanted it all to be over. I get all of the fuzzy-wuzzy emotional messages behind this film- we need to love and accept each other despite our differences, when we get stuck in a rut it's good to try new things and adventures, there are so many lifestyles in our world, etc etc. But I don't really care to see so much male genitalia, women giving birth on porches and nudists making wine along the way.

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