Boring to the point of putting you to sleep

Rating: 5/10 (24 December 2016)

I think the title sums it up. Jonah Hill's laugh is annoying as anything and so is this movie. Hell, I'd say it's worse than Jared Leto's "attempt" at the Joker laugh. Just like the laugh, the movie is a half-ass attempt at being as cool as Fight Club or Ocean's Eleven but all of it amounting to nothing other than being boring to the point of putting you to sleep.
STORY & SCRIPT - The story is about two high-school friends who meet over a funeral after a long time. Miles Teller's character,David works as a masseuse and has an incredibly hot, Spanish girlfriend. You want logic here? Look away. As David can't make both ends meet Efron(Jonah Hill) offers a job in his company, so that he can support his family and also help Efron make the most out of the loop-holes in the American system. As this is based on a true story, I really can't say that which is more absurd, the plot or the story- telling. The script is woven over this plot, which sounds like a joke you tell at a party and everybody has a good laugh. But here, that joke is extended to a 2- hour long film full of phone-calls and talking and narration. There is so much narration that you will start thinking that why are they showing the film, just read the script and get it over with.
DIRECTION - Now it is clear that Todd Phillips was indeed a one-time wonder with the Hangover. Maybe it was a stroke of luck or stroke of genius but it isn't working now. The levels of absurdity which was promised in the trailers are missing. Like I said, if you have to make a party-time joke into a movie, you better have the substance for it. The movie begins with a semi-dark-comedic tone and then it goes all dark and gloomy. This is in the first 40 minutes. The rest of the movie keeps going up and down regarding tone. It's all over the place. The characters aren't given time to build up. Few small, stereotypical, easily relatable situations and a truckload of narration. That's what the director used to establish the characters. On top of that, the movie suffers from the Suicide Squad syndrome. Songs everywhere. Just everywhere. There is a scene in the movie where three things are happening simultaneously:narration, characters talking and music playing. It was just horrible.
ACTING - Other than Bradley Cooper's small role as a shady agent, everyone was what they are. Miles Teller was Miles Teller. There was no actual room for character building because of the exposition and narration by his character. Jonah Hill is awful. Either he is shouting too loud or he is laughing. I hate that laugh. If it was intentional, good job, Jonah because it really took me out of the movie.
FINAL VERDICT - Give it a pass. It does boast of two of the youngest and finest actors right now in Hollywood but watch it if you want to know how stupid the American Defence system is. I mean, that's the only takeaway from this. You won't remember the characters, nor the story. Yes, you'll remember that laugh.