Clear 3 act structure

Rating: 9/10 (18 January 2007)

This is a great film to analyze as a screenwriter (which I would like to be one day) because it has such a clear structure.
Act I: We meet everyone, all of the misfits at home and the adventure is proposed. This act is short.
Act II: We go on the adventure. This is the longest act and it is like the classic "Candide" or "Peer Gynt" type episodic structure, one mishap after another, going from one place to another attempting to reach the destination.
Act: III: We arrive at the destination and the true of the situation which had before this been idealized is now revealed. And here the inner strength of each of the characters is called to task. And, we are resolved.
I love it.
And as a side note I have to sing the praises of Steve Carrell whom I was lucky enough to see when he was performing in Chicago at The Second City (obviously I live in Chicago). He was amazing. He played a friendly psychopathic killer in one scene and it was so funny. I also saw a musical with him in it about a detective and he played five or six different characters including a Mafioso similar to Sonny Corleone and a brain damaged but sweet hit man heavy. He sang and danced and was wonderful, and even then my family said "that actor is going to be a star one day".
For me Carrell made the film but at the same time he blended in perfectly with the others and did not steal the show.