Review No.103: Wanderlust

After a couple of pleasing low-key and foreign comedies its time to head back to another mainstream comedy in Wanderlust which reunites Jennifer Anniston and Paul Rudd on the big screen for the first time since 1998 when they starred together in The Object of my Affection. Here they play married couple George and Linda who have decided to purchase a small property in New York only for him to lose his job and her not to get her morbid penguin documentary picked up by HBO. Travelling to his brother's house to start a new life they stop by a B&B which turns out to be part of a commune known as Elysium after spending time with George's obnoxious in-laws the couple decide to head back to see if the hippie lifestyle is for them. Initially George enjoys the freedom while Linda is disturbed by the openness of those around them but predictably their views swap as she feels she's found her calling and he just wants to go back to urban life. Other than George and Linda's woes the other main story in the film is that of a company who want to purchase the land on which Elysium stands and turn into a casino something they can do as the commune's co-founder Carvin can't find the deeds. When Linda embraces the free-love philosophy of Elysium sleeping with the creepy Seth, played by Aniston's real-life lover Justin Theroux, George believes this is the last straw and moves away inevitably though things work out for everyone at the end of the film.

Though I didn't have particularly high expectations for Wanderlust judging by the subect matter I was still hoping for a half-decent comedy seeing as I enjoyed Paul Rudd and director David Wain's last collaboration Role Models. What made Role Models work was the combination of genuine laughs with some sweet-natured moments however neither are present here instead we have some obvious gags combined with some really annoying characters. The usually charming Rudd is lumped with a character who is never happy while Aniston plays a flighty woman who relies too much on her husband to bring home the bacon especially as she considers herself to be a modern woman. The commune setting, from which most of the laughs supposedly emanate, is full of stereotypes including the nudist whose balls keep getting in Rudd's face, the tea which is full of hallucinogenic qualities and the fact that there are no doors so that George has to go to the toilet with everyone watching. If you think any of those scenarios would make you laugh then you're the kind of easily-pleased person that Wanderlust is catering to but personally I found the thing utterly non-eventful save a fairly lively turn from Alan Alda. The ending itself is totally predictable and the way that we are told the ultimate fates of the character is done in such a lazy way that the screenwriters should be embarrassed with themselves. While there's nothing to really offend me I just found this another example of how Hollywood can tie together a few cheap gags and label it a comedy film.

Verdict: Lazy and predictable only Alan Alda's game turn keeps Wanderlust from being a terrible film so I'll give it a generous 2.5/10