A lumbering film, lacking in story, humour or emotion that ultimately fails to deliver.

Rating: 3/10 (8 July 2020)

I watched this on Google Play, and I'm glad that I didn't waste my cash on a cinema ticket. Like 'Marmite', you will either love or hate this movie. I came to it with an open mind, but ultimately felt disappointed by the unrealistic and confusing plot. In fact the premise of the story was so silly, I found it impossible to suspend my disbelief. Was the item simply mislaid on the desk, or should you bizzarely criss-cross the world in an attempt to find it elsewhere?
Many reviewers here claim that this film is 'life-changing' and will possibly make you re-evaluate some aspects of life. While it has some brilliant moments, such as the magazine cover reveal at the end, that's really a bit of a stretch. There are some movies that genuinally move you and inspire you to challenge yourself in your own life, but, due to the weak story and execution of it, this just isn't one of them.
As in the original movie, Stiller's character is shy and prone to daydreaming outlandish tales, but even with his obvious shortcomings, he bizzarely chooses to monitor his love interest through an expensive (and highly product-placed) dating agency rather than ask her out face-to-face. Obviously the writer's don't know women, who would most likely find that rather creepy, particularly as he seems quite capable of talking to her daily within his workplace.
Given the cast, you might also assume that the movie includes some moments of humour, but ultimately such moments fall flat, totally wasting the brilliant comedic talents of Kristen Wiig. It's a love story, but there is such little chemistry between the two characters, that you don't honestly feel that they would ever really make a lasting connection. Other characters are clichéd, and Greenland is portrayed as a remote place, devoid of civilisation and inhabited by sad, drunken, lumbering misfits.
To summarise, the intitial story had promise, but ultimately it's diminished as the real-life escapades of the character become ever more outlandish and ridiculous than his actual daydreams. Sean Penn adds nothing special, and the way that Stiller's character just casually stumbles across him up a vast mountain range is a clear example of just how silly the story is.
I like Ben Stiller, and I look forward to seeing more of his directorial output, but, sorry, this just has too many negatives for me.