Too Much Laughing At Our Sitcom Setup Selves?

Rating: 6/10 (29 December 2006)

Saw this film quite some time ago (well three date movies ago, but that's dog's years for a couple with twin four-year olds.) Trying to find frames of a movie that will satisfy both of us in our time-squeezed frames of minds has become comically complex for us.
This film is anything but comically complex, indeed both my wife walked out afterwards thinking that it was sadder than we expected. Don't get me wrong, we laughed when we were supposed to, as did the audience. And anyone who has ever push-started a car has got to appreciate that revolving gag (by the way I think it is funny for several reasons, one of them being that it is actually a bit of a dangerous undertaking...so nervous laughter helps out.)
Again, there were some funny moments, and for fans of dysfunctional humor, this film is aimed at you. It's just that it seems a bit too focused on that target at the cost of more interesting characters and less easy humor. I did enjoy the use of Sufjan Steven's track (more than the Devotchka through-out), what a beautiful song, and the scene it accompanied provided a nice updraft of hope that is generally missing here.
Oh well, I can use this as a filter for me; people who give this 10 stars won't connect with my ratings either, so it's a two-way filter! For me, this gets a sitcom setup six...
6/10
-Thurston Hunger