Charming and feel good

Rating: Null/10 (16 December 2017)

So the finished product is different than what I thought it would be when the project was first announced. Overall, it's a good film. A very good one at times. But it's also an incredibly safe one. It makes sense considering the novel it's based on, but the film was very, very kind to Tommy and Greg. It follows a very safe formula through and through, and sticks with it to the end. However, that's also probably a good thing. I was sure Franco would try something entirely crazy, but if he had, the film might not have been very good, let's be honest. Instead, the film sticks to the rulebook, sometimes being very funny throughout (although I honestly thought it would have been a lot funnier). Overall, it's decent, very enjoyable, and ultimately very light and feel good, which is sometimes all one needs. Franco did a great job. At first it seemed like a mere imitation, but he did try to go a little deeper to try to get at some core of the character. But the real star here is Dave Franco. He absolutely carries the film and gives it its beating heart and much needed grounded approach. He's incredibly charismatic, charming, and super likable. An underrated performance overshadowed by the showier one.