Not As Good As Role Models

Rating: 7/10 (19 March 2009)

It was refreshing to see such an honest portrayal of how close the rituals of friendship and dating can be. The movie also admits that being the cool loner doesn't always work out in real life. Regardless of your gender, you can probably relate to Paul Klaven's experience, especially if you've ever moved to a new town as an adult.
There were moments of fart/vomit/balls comedy that seemed just plain out of place with the rest of the movie, which is particularly ironic in a comedy that explores a less traditional version of masculine behavioror maybe these were supposed to show that it was an acceptably male comedy? At any rate, these moments were distracting in their gratuitousness, but few and far between.
The guys in the theater seemed to enjoy the movie quite a bit. I enjoyed it to a more limited degree. I'm sorry to say this, but Jason Segel isn't half the comic actor that Paul Rudd is, and that drags the movie down. I'm only sorry to say it because Segel can play the loser-y schlub so effectively you actually do feel sorry for him, even if he was less loser-y in this movie. But he really didn't make me laugh. Rashida Jones, too, did all right but has never struck me as a fantastic comedienne.
The non-snarky version of Paul Rudd, on the other hand, is just adorable, and that is really what carries this movie (at least for female viewers). Those pretty green eyes, that sweet smile, that alabaster skin! Seriously, at points I wasn't sure whether I was ogling him or merely admiring his skin care routine.
The supporting cast, too, is great. Andy Samburg is quite funny as Paul's gay brother Robbie, who understands men better than his straight brother. Jaime Pressley (one of my favorites) and Jon Favreau have great comic chemistry as married couple who are just plain awful. J.K. Simmons and Jane Curtain are vastly underutilized as Paul's parents.
I think men and women alike can enjoy this movie, though women might be a bit put off by touches like the utterly superficial and cliché desperate friend, Hailie, though actress Sarah Burns does her best. This movie, like most in the Apatow juggernaut, is still working its way towards making female characters equally funny and likable as male charactersbut you get the sense that it's trying, at least.
Overall, this movie is a B/B-. Mostly, It was in need of editing. Comedies need to move at a pretty quick pace, and this one dragged a bit. It's definitely amusing, but not nearly as funny as "Role Models" was, at least in my opinion.