No small parts

Rating: Null/10 (16 May 2011)

The cast in this film was spot on. It was particularly refreshing to find even the smallest of roles, uttering what could be the most innocuous of lines, laugh-out-loud funny. The Kutcher- Portman relationship rang true, outstripping any buzz about stripping, and one had the feeling the actors cared both about the script and each other. Kevin Kline is, of course, a national treasure. First time I've seen Greta Gerwig, Lake Bell, Ophelia Lovibond, Jennifer Irwin, or Olivia Thirlby (or noticed them) and they were all fantastic. And though I'd seen Mindy Kaling, Talia, Balsam, Jake M. Johnson, Ludicrous, and Abby Elliot before, they made the often-bandied belief that "In America there are no ensemble actors" seem like an outright lie. Cary Elwes was phenomenal with less than a half-dozen lines (and nobody does "lame" like him). There was so much less-is-more from the cast as a whole that the experience was lifted toward the sublime.