Thoughtful and funny.

Rating: 8/10 (14 July 2013)

Of course, the movie is funny. But, the humor derives almost entirely from the celebrity personalities of the actors involved. One has to have watched interviews with Michael Cera to understand the joke of him as a half-witted, horny coke fiend. One has to have followed James Franco's adventures in art house films, art, and literature to get the joke in his exaggerated in-the-moment koans. So, one has to walk in as a fan. And if one does, there is a pretty big pay off here. The guys (because we're all friends here) talk like guys, which is to say: crass, vulgar, and immature. But, at the same time, they struggle to encounter something more meaningful and in their man-child ways, discuss religion, morality, and the nature of celebrity. These are actual topics that the movie seems intent to comment upon. This is a universe in which celebrity for celebrity's sake is damned literally and genuine kindness and friendship is the key to salvation. I suppose that we mustn't forget that comedy is most successful when it is an aspect of inquiry into the human experience in ways that the movie-going public probably forgets. Those comedies that offer us silliness and nothing more are easily forgotten.