It's funny, but not 'all that'

Rating: 4/10 (31 August 2006)

It's funny and there are some good scenes, but the humor often feels pretty forced. There are quite a few things that could easily have been changed (or edited) and it would've made it a better movie. The whole scene with the first girl that Andy meets, who vomits shellfish while driving, should've been cut. Really disgusting stuff. The card-playing scene at the beginning is very hard to sit through. It's so painfully obvious that Andy is a virgin from the get-go, that it's almost unnecessary...but supposedly that's what helped Steve Carell sell the movie. The SmartTech boss with her inappropriate "f--k buddy" speech to Andy...igh. It's kinda cute that Trish, a woman who has definitely been "around" - and many, many times over - would fall for an inexperienced geek like Andy...I guess it could happen but it just isn't convincing. The ending is absolutely pathetic and a convenient wrap-up - presumably because Carell and Apatow couldn't decide on a good way for the movie to end...right down to that beaten-to-death wedding music. What's worse, Andy clearly hasn't grown up as the movie has progressed - he's the same guy he always was, a wimp...with one little thing changed. I'd have to give most of the props to Romany Malco, Paul Rudd, and Seth Rogen. They insist on sticking with him for the long haul...and while it might not be pleasant for them, they prove to be true friends! The best scenes in the film are the ones featuring Trish's daughter Marla...the actress who played her did superbly. Very realistic...unlike the movie as a whole, which is not very realistic.