2 In 1: HORRIBLE BOSSES And BAD TEACHER.

I never do this, but it's been almost a week since I've seen both (and I tend to write reviews the day I see a film) and I couldn't write a full review on either if I tried--and I'm really not in the mood to try, so there's that. On top of that, both films are thematically linked: both involve unlikable characters in a profession they really shouldn't be in... and then have the movie titled about said issue. That being said, here are a couple short reviews on these films.

HORRIBLE BOSSES.

First up we have a film about 3 guys: Nick (Jason Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day), and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis). Nick has been working his butt off for a promotion, but his boss (Kevin Spacey) gives it to himself instead, then treats Nick like crap about it. Dale is recently engaged and wants nothing more than to be a good husband and family man; unfortunately, his boss (Jennifer Aniston) is a little nympho and tries at every turn to seduce Dale and ruin his life. Then there's Kurt, who actually likes his boss (Donald Sutherland)--until the coke-snorting son (Colin Farrell) takes it over and threatens to run the business into the ground. Together, the three men run with the idea to kill each other's bosses, getting advice on how to do so from an ex-con named Motherfucker Jones (Jamie Foxx).

Not only is this movie pretty dang funny, but it has some heart to it. The relationship between the three friends is very solid, and you believe their connection to each other. While everyone is very good at what they're given, the movie truly belongs to Charlie Day, Jamie Foxx, and Kevin Spacey. Strangely, Day's boss (Aniston) seems the most out of place in the grand scheme of things, as if merely put in as an afterthought--but she's still damn funny. And Day is very easy to relate to as your everyman who just wants to have a nice, normal life. Kevin Spacey is menacing and diabolical, and he's totally a guy you love to hate. Then there's Jamie Foxx, who seems to be having a blast with his small but memorable role.

Overall, it was a really fun film that was maybe hyped up ever so slightly by the time I had seen it, but still really good and entertaining. My biggest qualm was that, to me, it moved from its second act into its third act almost undetectably. The conflict and everything bounced back and forth so much, I didn't realize we had reached the climax of the film until it was already over. I was left feeling like there should have been more to it, like the film had barely just gotten started by the time it was ending. Otherwise, I'd definitely recommend it.


A Keanu 'Whoa'

BAD TEACHER.

Then we have this film. Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) works the bare minimum as a middle school teacher just long enough to make it to her wedding with a very rich man. Unfortunately, he breaks it off with her, forcing her back into another year. She figures that in order to get a man with some money, she needs a boob job. Lucky for her, a rich heir, Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake), begins subbing at the school. Despite her attempts to woo him, he falls for the chipper do-gooder teacher, Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch). She also keeps fending off advances by the gym teacher, Russell (Jason Segel). But when she hears about a way to make some quick cash--getting the best scores on the state test--Elizabeth will do anything to get it.

It was definitely interesting and somewhat entertaining to see Cameron Diaz play such a despicable character. However, I personally found her to be the most unfunny part of the movie. I felt everyone around her--particularly Jason Segel--to be much better and much more entertaining and fun. Segel steals the show with a character that has both wit and heart, and part of me would have preferred to follow a movie based on the life of this middle school gym teacher instead. Unlisted in my opening paragraph was Lynn Davies, who plays a fellow teacher and is always riding along with Diaz and whatever she's doing. Davies was the next best part, playing a character with no self-esteem, but clearly wanting to burst out of her shell. But then there's Justin Timberlake, who is somewhat wasted with this role. He plays the ultimate naive dork to the point he nearly loses his innate charm. Lucy Punch has her moments, but her character is a bit over-the-top (in her first 5 minutes, she actually reminded me of a teacher I know... but then goes overboard the rest of the film).

I definitely don't think it's nearly as bad as a lot of people are making it out to be. But that could also be because I went in with such supremely low expectations. I didn't really laugh all that much. Maybe a chuckle here or there. If you're a fan of Jason Segel, he doesn't disappoint and would probably be the primary reason to see the film. Like I said, the movie isn't God awful, but it does miss its mark. Comedies, by definition, should be funny... and this one plays to the lowest common denominator of jokes. It has some decent ones, but overall doesn't work.


Feed Me, Seymour!

2 In 1: Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

So I saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall (a long time ago, actually… as this review has been sitting on the shelf for a while, so to speak), and I knew I’d have to put the review in with a 2 In 1, but couldn’t figure out the other movie to do it with. But then I finally decided to pair it up with another Judd Apatow film (and both including Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, and Jonah Hill... and possibly others), Knocked Up. And both films seem to be a little overrated. And, it seems that both are the best when the smaller characters are on screen, including Paul Rudd. So let me first start with the older of the two, which I’ve seen numerous times and have just gotten around to formally reviewing.

Knocked Up.

The best way to describe Knocked Up is to give a quote by Paul Rudd’s character within the movie: “Marriage is like that show Everybody Loves Raymond, but its not funny. All the problems are the same, but, you know instead of all the funny, pithy dialogue, everybody is really pissed off and tense.” And the movie is quite similar… sometimes it’s funny, but most of the time, it’s just a bunch of really pissed off people and tense moments.

Ben Stone (Seth Rogan) is a stoner loser. Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) is a successful TV reporter who just got a promotion. Going out to celebrate with her sister Debbie (Leslie Mann), Alison goes clubbing and has a drunken night of fun with Ben, resulting in sex, which leads to the inevitable pregnancy that the film revolves around. So the rest of the film showcases the relationship between the two, as well as juxtaposing the relationship between Debbie and her husband Pete (Paul Rudd).

Now, to go back to my opening, there’s a lot of situational comedy that presents itself, even in the concept (stoner loser gets successful woman pregnant, and both are forced to cooperate in order to be there for the baby). But what happens throughout the film is mostly uncomfortable, tense scenes full of fighting, pissed-off people.

But the best parts of the film are those with the supporting cast, or even the tiniest of cameos or roles: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Jay Baruchel, Joanna Kerns, Harold Ramis, Alan Tudyk, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Ryan Seacrest, James Franco, and Ken Jeong… among others. Seriously, my favorite part of the entire movie isn’t even in the movie. In the extended/deleted scenes, you can see the full, uncut version of Ken Jeong’s Dr. Kuni scene. That had me laughing so hard, much more than any of the rest of the movie did. The best part of the actual movie was Paul Rudd’s ‘chair’ scene in Las Vegas. And not even the whole scene itself including Seth Rogan’s ranting, but simply Paul Rudd’s tiniest movements or words (“It tastes like a rainbow!”). Hell, even Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann’s kids in the movie (which I believe are actually Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow’s kids) were entertaining.

As for the others, specifically Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogan, I just had difficulty caring… moreso with the former. It’s hard to care about a budding romance when you can’t stand one of the two. I mostly couldn’t stand Katherine Heigl for the majority of the movie and thought she was pretty much a bitch. The times when she didn’t get on my nerves and was actually likable were few and far between, such as when she’d sit on the couch looking for nudity in a movie for Ben’s website. Though I’m not saying Seth Rogan’s character was a saint, either, but at least he had personality outside of ‘stick-up-the-butt’.

So yeah, there were good moments, there were funny moments, but the majority just didn’t work for me. The movie is a romantic comedy. But when you can’t stand one or both of the pair in the romance, and the movie is more about being tense and fighting over being funny, it basically fails at its job. It does live up to the Judd Apatow degree, but I’m just not with everybody who says it’s his best work and much better than 40-Year-Old-Virgin and Superbad. It’s good, yeah… but it’s not great.

I Am McLovin!

Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

So I finally got around to seeing Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It was about what I thought it would be. Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) was just broken up with by long-time girlfriend and famous TV actress Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), the show for which he writes music. After some random advice given to him by his step-brother Brian (Bill Hader), Peter decides to go to Hawaii to try and forget about his ex instead of moping around and having meaningless flings. Though when he gets there, he discovers that Sarah is also there, along with her new boyfriend, British rock superstar Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). Fortunately, a nice employee by the name of Rachel (Mila Kunis) tries to cheer him up, though Peter starts to get closer to her than he first expected.

The movie had a lot of funny moments, most of which were thanks to some of the smaller, more underused roles. Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill’s underused characters were great, more specifically Rudd’s (Hill’s whole subplot was nearly pointless). And then there was the newlywed couple with sexual difficulties who were pretty funny (“Christ is between your legs!” had to be the funniest line in the film). But for me, the guy who stole almost every scene he was in was Russell Brand as Aldous Snow. Everything he said was just plain funny, mostly because of how he said it in his very nonchalant kind of way.

But the movie did have quite a few dragging moments. It could have been trimmed down quite a bit. The beginning of the movie, before he gets to Hawaii, seems like it takes forever to get through. I wanted to get to the story already, but there were more and more scenes of him just moping around and crying. Then he finally gets to the island and does more moping around and crying. I know the movie was called Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and the point was him trying to get over her, but I think we got the point after the 30^th fetal-position crying scene. And, though I think he’s a fun actor, Jonah Hill’s whole part in the movie could have been trimmed down a bit, too. The only reason I think he might not have been was due to him, for whatever reason, being in just about every plot-important scene in the movie. I mean, I don’t know if it’s some unspoken rule that every Judd Apatow-linked film has to be at least two hours long, but they should really work on that a bit.

I really don’t have much else to say about the film. When it wasn’t dragging or unnecessary, I thought it was funny and entertaining (which it was, more often than not). I’d totally watch it again.

A Keanu 'Whoa'