Surprisingly enjoyable

Rating: 7/10 (16 May 2014)

Saw it on HBO, not the type of movie I'd go to see. That said, despite expectations to the contrary, I rather enjoyed the movie. The fake family construct offered a lot of good comedic twists. Jason Sudeikis is already a comedic force to be reckoned with, and has the added plus of being a naturally endearing character, just like Anniston. Sudeikis is going to go beyond Adam Sandler, Steve Carrell, Seth Rogen. He's got leading man good looks and a brilliant comedic flair and a delivery like Vince Vaughn, Bradley Cooper, Ben Stiller, and Paul Rudd, and given the right material could go very far. And he will be able to crossover into dramatic roles as well. So even with some predictable plot turns the movie was still able to bring some originality without stretching credulity too far. I cringed at the spider scene, because it is SUCH a played out routine--I'm surprised they don't have a retirement home for Tarantulas. And the fake family dynamics was just smarmy enough to make it work and make it endearing.