Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Wanderlust

After purchasing an upscale Manhattan loft, a couple (Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston) loses their means of financial security almost overnight. In desperation, they pack their belongings and leave for his obnoxious brother's house in Atlanta when, after a few days of abuse, they decide to return to a hippy commune they stopped at along their way south, and attempt to adopt the ways of free love. David Wain's "Wanderlust" has the same charm and offers the same mixed bag as some of his other films. Actually, I thought it was extraordinarily funny until the laughs gradually started to fade away. Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd are amiable enough (his mirror scene where he prepares for his first foray into casual sex is a riot) and Ken Marino (also the film's cowriter) and Michaela Watkins have very funny roles as Rudd's brother and sister-in-law. "Wanderlust" definitely has its ebbs and flow, but in a sea of humorless comedies, how can you really pan one that makes you chuckle so much, even if it is imperfect?