Funny People (2009)

Funny People is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written, produced and directed by Judd Apatow, and starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann. The film was released on 31 July 2009 in North America, and on 28 August 2009 in the United Kingdom. Funny People uses considerably more dramatic elements than seen in Apatow's previous films. The film was co-produced by Apatow Productions and Mr. Madison 23 Productions, a subsidiary of Sandler's company Happy Madison. Universal Pictures and Columbia Pictures co-financed the film and it also served as a worldwide distributor.

The Plot

George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is a very successful 40-something comedian and actor. However, he is self-absorbed, lonely and estranged from his family. When diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, George is offered an experimental treatment that has an eight-percent chance of therapeutic response. Believing he is about to die, he decides to return to his roots and do stand-up comedy. Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) is an aspiring stand-up comedian who lives in an apartment with his two best friends, Mark Taylor Jackson and Leo Koenig (Jason Schwartzman and Jonah Hill). Mark stars in a fictional poorly-conceived sitcom, Yo Teach, where he plays a teacher for a group of misfit students. Despite the obvious failings of the show, Mark constantly brags about his high income and holds himself in a higher regard as an actor and comedian. When fellow stand-up comedienne Daisy (Aubrey Plaza) visits him, Mark magnanimously tells Ira that he will hold off having sex with her for ten days in order for Ira to make a play for her. George and Ira meet at a comedy club, where George takes the stage to deliver a dark routine, which Ira mocks as the follow-up act. George calls Ira the next morning and asks him to write jokes for George's upcoming gig at a MySpace corporate event.

The event goes well and George hires Ira as his assistant. When George tells him about his condition, Ira cares for him through the treatment. After a walking conversation between Ira, Mark, and Leo, Ira implores George to tell people about his disease. George calls his ex-fiancée, Laura (Leslie Mann), to apologize for his continual infidelities when they were together, but does not tell her why he is having a change of heart. Meanwhile, Ira awkwardly asks Daisy out, but later discovers that she and Mark have slept together, and angrily cuts off all ties with her. Laura comes to one of George′s shows and later visits him at his house, telling him that her husband, Clarke, cheats on her as well. They reconcile and tentatively become friends. George′s physician tells him that the medicine has worked: George's leukemia is in remission. George is happy that the death sentence has been lifted, but is unsure what to do with his life now that he has the rest of it to live. He decides he wants a long-term relationship and calls Laura, but does not tell her the news. George and Ira go to a gig in San Francisco; Laura meets them there. George makes Ira tell Laura during intermission that he is free of disease. George later explains that he did not want to "jinx it". They embrace and she invites George and Ira to her house in Marin County.

George and Ira spend time with Laura and her daughters. George and Laura sneak into the guest house together to have sex; meanwhile, Ira tells both daughters that George is healthy. When Clarke (Eric Bana) unexpectedly arrives, Laura asks George to maintain the façade of being deathly sick. In the morning, Clarke bids George a tearful goodbye — which is cut short when his daughters reveal that George is actually healthy. Clarke confronts Laura and accuses her cheating. In response, Laura confronts him with his infidelity, and he drives off in a huff. Laura tells George that she plans to leave Clarke; he is overjoyed, but Ira tells him their affair will destroy a family. Angered, George threatens to fire him. The next day, George, Ira, and Laura watch the video of Laura′s daughter, Mabel, performing the song "Memory" from the musical Cats; Ira and Laura find the performance moving, but George appears bored. Laura leaves for the airport to tell Clarke she is leaving him; Ira lies to George and follows her. At the airport, Clarke confesses his infidelity to Laura, and pleads with her to give their marriage another try. Laura agrees and says her affair with George was a mere "flirtation". They discover Ira following them, and goad him into admitting that he is trying to stop George and Laura from running off together.

An enraged Clarke chases George out of his house and beats him up. George forces Laura to choose between him and Clarke; she chooses her husband, and bids George a tearful goodbye. Heading back to Los Angeles, George berates Ira for his betrayal and fires him. Ira upbraids George for not learning anything from his near-death experience, and tells him that he will never be able to escape his own personal failings because of his selfish nature. Ira returns to his old job at the deli department while he starts to date Daisy. George attends Ira′s stand-up and sees that his old assistant has become a far more confident performer. The next day, George finds Ira at work and admits that even though he is no longer sick, his attitude needs improvement. The film ends when George and Ira start telling each others' jokes with George having written down a few for Ira as they laugh together and repair their friendship.

Reviews

Funny People received generally positive reviews from the critics and currently holds a 67% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 50% "Rotten" rating among Top Critics, based on the consensus that the film "features the requisite humor, as well as considerable emotional depth, resulting in Judd Apatow's most mature film to date." Another review aggregator, Metacritic, gave the film a metascore of 60 out of 100 under the "Mixed or Average Reviews" category, based on 35 reviews.

Jeffrey Wells from Hollywood Elsewhere received feedback from sources who had seen a test screening, with one source calling it "really funny, a really sweet movie, a lot of veracity...really a brilliant film", comparing it to the works of James L. Brooks.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film 3½ stars of four, calling it "a real movie. That means carefully written dialogue and carefully placed supporting performances — and it's about something. It could have easily been a formula film...but George Simmons learns and changes during his ordeal, and we empathize." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone also praised the film, writing, "Apatow scores by crafting the film equivalent of a stand-up routine that encompasses the joy, pain, anger, loneliness and aching doubt that go into making an audience laugh." Kyle Smith of the New York Post wrote that the film was "one of the most absorbing films of the year."

Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film one of its mixed reviews, complaining of the film's two-and-a-half-hour running time: "Funny People is...an attempt by Apatow to reconcile the huge success he has become with the up-and-comer he once was. The results run an increasingly exasperating 2½ hours."

The Cast

Adam Sandler as George Simmons
 Seth Rogen as Ira Wright
 Leslie Mann as Laura
 Eric Bana as Clarke
 Jonah Hill as Leo Koenig
 Jason Schwartzman as Mark Taylor Jackson
 Aubrey Plaza as Daisy Danby
 Maude Apatow as Mable
 Iris Apatow as Ingrid
 RZA as Chuck
 Aziz Ansari as Randy
 Torsten Voges as Dr. Lars
 Allan Wasserman as Dr. Stevens

Your Highness (2011)

Your Highness is a 2011 American fantasy comedy film directed by David Gordon Green, written by Danny McBride and Ben Best, and starring McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, and Zooey Deschanel. Filming began in the summer of 2009 in Northern Ireland and concluded in October 2009. The film was released in theatres on April 8, 2011.

The Plot

Thadeous and Fabious (Danny McBride and James Franco) are two sons of King Tallious (Charles Dance). They are both warriors, but Fabious is dashing and skilled and Thadeous is lazy and ineffectual with both an inferiority complex and poor track record in quest taking. While celebrating his latest victory over the evil sorcerer who has been ravaging Tallious's kingdom, Leezar (Justin Theroux), Fabious reveals the virgin Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel) he freed from a tower and wishes to marry her. Though he is made the best man, Thadeous skips the wedding after overhearing Fabious's Elite Knights, led by Boremont (Damian Lewis), talk about him negatively. But the wedding is then crashed by Leezar, revealing himself to be the one who placed Belladona in the tower before spiriting her away. Returning to the castle with his servant Courtney (Rasmus Hardiker), Thadeous is forced into joining Fabious on his quest to rescue Belladonna.

Visiting the perverted Great Wise Wizard, Thadeous and Fabious learn that Leezar is attempting to fulfill a prophecy of a warlock having hard-core sex with a maiden when the two Moons converge, impregnating her with a dragon that will allow him to take over King Tallious' kingdom. To destroy Leezar, they are given a magic compass that would lead them to the fabled Sword of Unicorn which is located within a labyrinth. On the way there, after finding that Fabious's slave, Julie (Toby Jones) has been reporting to Leezar of their progress, Thadeous and Fabious learn that Elite Knights are also serving the warlock and escape from them alongside Courtney. While collecting themselves at a river, after his brother sends his mechanical bird Simon to tell the king of the Elite Knights' betrayal and request reinforcements, Thadeous, Fabious and Courtney are captured by nymphs under their leader, Marteetee (John Fricker), who imprisons them at an arena where Fabious kills off Marateetee's finest warrior. In retaliation, Marteetee summons his hydra-like familiar to kill them.

However, Thadeous and Fabious are rescued by Isabel (Natalie Portman), a warrior that is seeking revenge for her father's murder at Marteetee's hands. Later that night, as Fabious and Courtney leave them for the mood to set in, Thadeous learns that Isabel is also after Leezar for the slaughter of her brothers before accidentally revealing their quest and the compass to her. The next day, the party learn too late that Isabel stole the compass from Thadeous and ran off. Finally infuriated of his brother's selfish behavior as they arrive to a village, Fabious decides to find the Sword of Unicorn alone as Thadeous and Courtney go to a tavern, where they find Isabel and steal the compass back. But finding that his brother has been captured by Leezar's men, Thadeous wins Isabel over as they join forces, entering the labyrinth where they encounter a minotaur. Getting separated from the others, Thadeous retrieves the Sword of Unicorn and, after a test of worth, slays the minotaur as Isabel used a panflute to soothe the monster as he was about to rape Courtney. A changed man, proudly wearing the minotaur's severed penis as a trophy necklace when unable to get one of the beast's horns, Thadeous and his group make their way to Leezar's castle and free Fabious while giving him the Sword of Unicorn. As the others kill off Julie and Boremont's men along with Leezar's mothers, Fabious uses the Sword of Unicorn to end Leezar's life before he is able to rape Belladonna, saving the kingdom.

After their victory, the heroes go back home, but Isabel goes on another quest. Fabious and Belladonna marry as Thadeous retreats to his bedroom to masturbate before going to bed. There, he is approached by Isabel, who reveals that she has fallen in love with him. However, for them to have sex, he must first slay the witch that cast a spell on her, locking her in a chastity belt. Though he is not in the mood to go out, Isabel's suggestion to cuddle convinces him to go on a new adventure.

Reviews

Your Highness received negative reviews. Rotten Tomatoes reports that the film holds an overall approval rating of 26% based on 159 reviews and 10% among 29 "Top Critics". David Edelstein of the New York Magazine gave one of the few favorable reviews, describing the film as "a cunning weave of low and high". Richard Roeper awarded the film a "C+" and although admitted some parts were humorous, criticized the action sequences and special effects. Andrew O'Hehir of Salon.com was more negative, noting that "For a few hours after having seen Your Highness, I considered the possibility that it was the worst movie ever made." Both Roger Ebert and Peter Travers gave the film one star out of four; Ebert likened the film to a "juvenile excrescence" while Travers concluded "Nothing works. Nothing." Mary Pols of Time magazine named it one of the Top 10 Worst Movies of 2011.

Don't let the reviews bug you. You have to see it for yourself !

The Cast

Danny McBride as Thadeous
 James Franco as Fabious
 Rasmus Hardiker as Courtney
 Natalie Portman as Isabel
 Toby Jones as Julie
 Justin Theroux as Leezar
 Zooey Deschanel as Belladonna
 Charles Dance as King Tallious
 Damian Lewis as Boremont
 Simon Farnaby as Manious the Bold

Young Adult (2011)

Young Adult is a 2011 American dark comedy film directed by Jason Reitman, from a screenplay written by Diablo Cody. Reitman and Cody worked together previously on the 2007 film, Juno. The film had a limited release on December 9, 2011, and a wide release on December 16, to generally positive reviews.

The Plot

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the self-absorbed Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) is the divorced, 37-year-old ghost writer of the Waverly Prep series of young adult novels, who is on deadline with her editor to finish the last book of the soon-to-be-canceled series. While experiencing a creative block, Mavis receives an e-mail with pictures of the newborn daughter of her high school boyfriend Buddy Slade and his wife Beth Slade. Believing this to be a sign she and Buddy are meant to be together, Mavis returns to her hometown of Mercury, Minnesota, to reclaim her life with Buddy, under the pretext she is overseeing a real estate deal.

Upon arriving after multiple listens to Teenage Fanclub off a mixtape Buddy gave her in high school, Mavis invites him to meet her at a local sports bar for old times' sake the next day. In the interim, she goes alone to a different bar, Woody's. There she reconnects with a former classmate she barely remembers, Matt Freehauf, who became disabled after being beaten by jocks who erroneously assumed he was gay. Matt tells Mavis that her plans to destroy Buddy's marriage are insane, but Mavis ignores him.

The following day, Mavis meets Buddy at the sports bar, where they run into Matt, the bar's bookkeeper, who teases Mavis about her plans. On their way out, Buddy invites Mavis to a presentation of drummer Beth's "mom rock band", and asks her to autograph some of her books for Buddy's niece. Mavis agrees, and, after spending another night getting drunk with Matt, who distills homemade bourbon in the garage of the house he shares with his sister Sandra, attends the concert, where the other moms are resentful of what one remembers as the "psychotic prom queen bitch."

Buddy becomes uncomfortable with Mavis' advances and decides to leave. Beth wants to extend her girls' night out, however, so Mavis offers to drive the drunk Buddy home. On the lawn they share a kiss that's quickly broken up when the babysitter opens the front door to greet them. The next day, after an awkward encounter with her parents, Mavis is invited to Buddy's daughter's naming ceremony. She goes out with Matt again to Woody's, where they continue to bond and later bicker. The following day, Mavis attends the party, where she declares her love for Buddy, but he rebuffs her. Distraught, Mavis attempts to leave and runs into Beth, who accidentally spills wine on Mavis' dress. Mavis insults her, and tearfully reveals that she got pregnant with Buddy's baby years ago, but had a miscarriage after three months.

Buddy, who has been preparing a drum-set gift for Beth in the garage, opens the garage door and belatedly learns what's transpired. Mavis asks him why he invited her. He reveals it was Beth's idea, as she feels sorry for Mavis. Humiliated, Mavis leaves the party and visits Matt, where she breaks down in tears and initiates sex. On the following morning, while Matt sleeps, Mavis has coffee in the kitchen with Sandra, who tells Mavis she's better than the rest of Mercury. Mavis realizes she needs to go back to the city. Sandra asks to go with her, but Mavis rebuffs her and leaves alone.

On her way out, she is able to write the last chapter of the book, in which the main character, much like Mavis, realizes the true meaning of being an adult, and both prepare to start their lives anew.

Reviews

The film has received generally positive reviews, scoring 82% positive reviews out of 116 from critics and 84% from top critics on Rotten Tomatoes. It also received a score of 71 out of 100 from Metacritic. Its consensus states: "Despite its somewhat dour approach, Young Adult is a funny and ultimately powerful no-holds-barred examination of prolonged adolescence, thanks largely to a convincing performance by Charlize Theron." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, writing "After I left the screening of Young Adult, my thoughts were mixed. With Thank You for Smoking, Juno and Up in the Air, Jason Reitman has an incredible track record. Those films were all so rewarding. The character of Mavis makes Young Adult tricky to process. As I absorbed it, I realized what a fearless character study it is. That sometimes it's funny doesn't hurt." Tom Long of The Detroit News wrote "Young Adult may be the year's most engaging feel-bad movie."  A. O. Scott of the New York Times praised the film, writing "Shorter than a bad blind date and as sour as a vinegar Popsicle, Young Adult shrouds its brilliant, brave and breathtakingly cynical heart in the superficial blandness of commercial comedy." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film three stars out of four, saying "In this tale of stunted development, Theron is a comic force of nature, giving her character considerable density and humanity despite her monstrous aspects. And Patton Oswalt deserves cheers as Matt, a former classmate who pops Mavis' delusions with soul-crushing honesty. His dark duet with Theron is funny, touching and vital. But fair warning: The laughs in Young Adult leave bruises."  Richard Roeper awarded the film an A grade, stating “Charlize Theron delivers one of the most impressive performances of the year.”

The film also appeared on many critics' lists of the best films of 2011. 

The Cast

Charlize Theron as Mavis Gary
 Patton Oswalt as Matt Freehauf
 Patrick Wilson as Buddy Slade
 Elizabeth Reaser as Beth Slade
 Collette Wolfe as Sandra Freehauf
 Jill Eikenberry as Hedda Gary
 Richard Bekins as David Gary
 Mary Beth Hurt as Jan
 Kate Nowlin as Mary Ellen Trantowski

Carnage (2011)

Carnage is a 2011 black comedy film co-written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on the play God of Carnage by French playwright Yasmina Reza. The film is an international co-production of France, Germany, Spain and Poland.

The Plot

When two grade-school boys get into a confrontation in the park that results in one boy hitting the other in the mouth with a stick, their parents meet in a Brooklyn apartment to discuss the matter. The parents of the boy wielding the stick, Alan and Nancy Cowan (Waltz & Winslet), visit the home of Michael and Penelope Longstreet (Reilly & Foster), who are the parents of the boy who was struck. Their meeting is initially intended to be a short visit but various circumstances, such as Nancy vomiting in the Longstreet's living room and Alan's numerous cell phone conversations, continue to draw it out. At first, the verbal exchange between the two married couples maintains a high civility factor but when the differences between them start to emerge, subtly at first and eventually glaringly, the couples begin to turn on each other and finally each on their own spouse. As their civility and inhibition washes away, aided by a bottle of Scotch whiskey, the geniality vanishes, descending fully into verbal warfare with all their character flaws laid bare.

In the end, the film cuts to footage of the two boys reconciling on their own, without the aid of their parents and while the credits roll, they are shown continuing to play in the park.

Reviews

Carnage received generally positive reviews from critics. It holds a 72% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which notes, "It isn't as compelling on the screen as it was on the stage, but Carnage makes up for its flaws with Polanski's smooth direction and assured performances from Winslet and Foster." On Metacritic, which uses an average of the critics' reviews, the film holds a 61/100, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".

The Cast

Jodie Foster as Penelope Longstreet

 Kate Winslet as Nancy Cowan

 Christoph Waltz as Alan Cowan

 John C. Reilly as Michael Longstreet

 Elvis Polanski as Zachary Cowan

 Eliot Berger as Ethan Longstreet

Tropic Thunder (2008)

Tropic Thunder is a 2008 American action satire comedy film written, produced, and directed by Ben Stiller, and starring Stiller, Robert Downey, Jr., and Jack Black. The main plot revolves around a group of prima donna actors who are making their fictional Vietnam War film. When their frustrated writer and director decide to drop them in the middle of a jungle, they are forced to rely on their acting skills in order to survive the real action and danger. Also written by Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen, the film was produced by Red Hour Films and distributed by DreamWorks Pictures through Paramount Pictures.

Stiller's idea for the film originated while playing a minor role in Empire of the Sun, and he later enlisted Theroux and Cohen to help complete the script. After the film was green-lighted in 2006, filming took place in 2007 on the Hawaiian island of Kauai over thirteen weeks and was later deemed the largest film production in the island's history. The film had an extensive marketing promotion, including faux websites for the three main characters and their fictional films, airing a fictional television special, and selling the energy drink advertised in the film, "Booty Sweat". Prior to the film's release, it was met with criticism from disability advocacy groups for its portrayal of mental retardation.

The film received generally favorable reviews with critics approving of the film's characters, story, and faux trailers while criticizing its offensive content. The film's soundtrack and score debuted on August 5, 2008, before the film's theatrical release. In its North American opening weekend, the film earned US$26 million and retained the number one position for the first three weekends of release. The film and its cast were nominated for several awards by various groups including the Screen Actors Guild, Broadcast Film Critics Association, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The film grossed $180 million in theaters before its release on home video on November 18, 2008.

The Plot

Hook-handed Vietnam veteran John "Four Leaf" Tayback's (Nick Nolte) memoir, Tropic Thunder, is being made into a film. With the exception of newcomer supporting actor Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel), the cast—fading action hero Tugg Speedman (Stiller), five-time Academy Award-winning Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus (Downey, Jr.), rapper Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson), and drug-addicted comedian Jeff Portnoy (Black)—behave unreasonably. Rookie director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) is unable to control the actors during the filming of a large war scene and just five days into shooting the production is reported to be one month behind schedule. Cockburn is ordered by studio executive Les Grossman (Tom Cruise) to get filming back on track, or risk the cancellation of production.

Acting on Tayback's advice, Cockburn drops the actors into the middle of the jungle, where he has installed hidden cameras and rigged special effects explosions to film "guerrilla-style". The actors have guns that fire blanks, along with a map and scene listing that will guide them to a helicopter waiting at the end of the jungle route. Unbeknownst to the actors and the production, the group have been dropped in the middle of the Golden Triangle, the home of the heroin-producing Flaming Dragon gang. Shortly after the group set off, the five actors are stunned to see Cockburn blown up by an old land mine. Speedman, believing Cockburn faked his death, persuades Chino, Portnoy, and Sandusky that Cockburn is alive and that they are still shooting the film. Lazarus is unconvinced, but joins the other actors in their trek through the jungle.

When Tayback and pyrotechnics operator Cody Underwood (Danny McBride) attempt to locate the dead director, they are captured by Flaming Dragon, at which point Tayback reveals that he fabricated his memoir and that he has hands. As the actors continue to forge through the jungle, Lazarus and Sandusky discover that Speedman is leading them in the wrong direction. The four actors, tired of walking through the jungle and hoping to be rescued, leave Speedman, who goes off by himself and is captured by Flaming Dragon and taken to their heroin factory. Believing it is a POW camp from the script, he continues to think he is being filmed. The gang discovers that he is the star of their favorite film, the box office bomb Simple Jack, and force him to reenact it several times a day. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Speedman's agent Rick Peck (Matthew McConaughey) is trying to negotiate with an uninterested Grossman an unfulfilled term in Speedman's contract that entitles him to a TiVo. Flaming Dragon calls the two and demands a ransom for Speedman, but Grossman instead berates the gang. Despite the threats he made to the Flaming Dragon, Grossman expresses no interest in rescuing Speedman and attempts to convince Rick about the benefits of allowing Speedman to die and collecting the insurance. Grossman also offers Rick a Gulfstream V and money in return for Rick's cooperation.

Lazarus, Chino, Portnoy, and Sandusky discover Flaming Dragon's heroin factory. After seeing Speedman being tortured, they plan a rescue attempt based on the film's script. Lazarus impersonates a farmer towing a captured Portnoy on the back of a water buffalo, distracting the armed guards so Chino and Sandusky can locate where the captives are held. After the gang notices inconsistencies in Lazarus' story, the actors open fire on the gang, temporarily subduing them. When the gang realizes that they are being guarded by actors, they gather their guns and begin firing.

The four actors locate Speedman, Tayback, and Underwood, and cross a bridge rigged to explode to get to their helicopter. Speedman asks to remain behind with the gang which he considers his family, but quickly returns with Flaming Dragon in pursuit. Tayback detonates the bridge, allowing Speedman to reach safety, but as the helicopter takes off, the gang fires an RPG at the machine. Rick unexpectedly stumbles out of the jungle carrying a TiVo box and throws it in the path of the RPG, saving them all. The actors and crew return to Hollywood, where footage from the hidden cameras is compiled into a feature film, Tropic Blunder, which becomes a major critical and box office hit. The film wins Speedman his first Academy Award, which Lazarus presents to him at the ceremony.

Reviews

The film received mostly positive reviews by critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 83% of critics gave the film a positive review based on a sample of 221 reviews, with an average score of 7.1/10. Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 from reviews by mainstream critics, gave a film rating of 71/100 based on 39 reviews.

After attending an industry screening in April 2008 Michael Cieply from The New York Times stated that the film was "... shaping up as one of DreamWorks's best prospects for the summer." Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film a positive review, writing "There are some wildly funny scenes, a few leaden ones and others that are scattershot, with humorous satire undercut by over-the-top grisliness. Still, when it's funny, it's really funny." A review in Variety by Todd McCarthy was critical: "Apart from startling, out-there comic turns by Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise, however, the antics here are pretty thin, redundant and one-note." Rick Groen of The Globe and Mail gave the film a negative review, calling it "... an assault in the guise of a comedy—watching it is like getting mugged by a clown." J.R. Jones of Chicago Reader stated "The rest of the movie never lives up to the hilarity of the opening, partly because the large-scale production smothers the gags but mostly because those gags are so easy to smother."

The faux trailers before the film also received mixed reviews. David Ansen of Newsweek approved of the trailers, writing "Tropic Thunder is the funniest movie of the summer—so funny, in fact, that you start laughing before the film itself has begun." Christy Lemire, writing for the Associated Press, called the trailers "... the best part of the trip." Robert Wilonsky of The Village Voice was critical, saying that the trailers' comedy "... resides in the land of the obvious, easy chuckle."

The cast received mixed critical reception. Downey was praised by many critics, claiming that he "stole the show", was "... off-the-charts hilarious ...", and would bring viewers "... the fondest memories of his work." Scott Feinberg, of the Los Angeles Times, criticized the concept of Downey's portrayal of an African-American, writing "... I just can't imagine any circumstance under which a blackface performance would be acceptable, any more than than I can imagine any circumstance under which the use of the N-word would be acceptable." Sara Vilkomerson said Cruise did "... an astonishingly funny and surprising supporting performance." Logan Hill of New York argued against Cruise's cameo saying that it "... just makes him look a little lost and almost pathetic—shucking and jiving, trying to appeal to the younger moviegoers who are abandoning him."

Several critics commented on the controversy over lines in the film talking about the mentally disabled. Duane Dudek of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote that the film "... is just sophomoric enough to offend. And while it is also funny, it is without the empathy or compassion to cause us to wonder why we are laughing." Christian Toto of The Washington Times argued against the opposition, "Tropic Thunder is drawing fire from special interest groups for its frequent use of the word 'retard', but discerning audiences will know where the humor is targeted. And they'll be laughing too hard to take offense." Kurt Loder of MTV contrasted the opposition to the lines with Downey character portrayal of an African American, "The scene in which the derisive Alpa Chino nails Lazarus' recitation of black-uplift homilies as nothing more than the lyrics to the Jeffersons theme is funny; but the one in which Lazarus quietly explains to Speedman that his Simple Jack character failed because he made the mistake of going 'full retard'—rather than softening his character with cuteness in the manner of Forrest Gump—is so on-the-nose accurate, it takes your breath away."

The Cast

Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman

Robert Downey, Jr. as Kirk Lazarus

Jack Black as Jeff Portnoy

Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino

Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky

Nick Nolte as John "Four Leaf" Tayback

Steve Coogan as Damien Cockburn

Danny McBride as Cody Underwood

Matthew McConaughey as Rick "Pecker" Peck

Bill Hader as Rob Slolom

Brandon Soo Hoo as Tran

Reggie Lee as Byong

Tom Cruise as Les Grossman

Jack and Jill (2011)

Jack and Jill is a 2011 comedy film starring Adam Sandler and directed by Dennis Dugan, who has collaborated with Sandler on most of his films. It was distributed by Columbia Pictures and released on November 11, 2011.

Jack and Jill was widely panned by critics and holds a score of 3% on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the negative reception, the film debuted in second place at the box office, with over $25 million.

The Plot

Jack Sadelstein (Adam Sandler) is a successful advertising executive in Los Angeles with a beautiful wife (Katie Holmes) and kids, who dreads one event each year: the Thanksgiving visit of his identical twin sister Jill (also Adam Sandler). Jill's neediness and passive-aggressiveness is maddening to Jack, turning his normally tranquil life upside down.

Reviews

Jack & Jill was widely panned by critics; review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 3% of 96 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 2.7 out of 10. The consensus is, "Although it features an inexplicably committed performance from Al Pacino, Jack and Jill is impossible to recommend on any level whatsoever." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 23 based on 26 reviews. CinemaScore polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was a "B" on an A+ to F scale and an "A−" from audiences under age 18.

Mary Pols of Time Magazine ranked the film #1 on the Top 10 Worst Movies of 2011. TV Guide included the film on its "The Worst of 2011" list. Andrew Barker of Variety said that the film's "general stupidity, careless direction and reliance on a single-joke premise that was never really funny to begin with are only the most obvious of its problems." Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle was slightly more generous, saying that while "the Jill problem is too insurmountable to ignore, almost everything else in this comedy succeeds. The central situation...has comic energy...(the film has) successful bits and big moments of satisfying comedy, interspersed with long sections that are just annoying."

Mike Stoklasa and Jay Bauman of RedLetterMedia gave a detailed critique of the film in a two-part hour-long review on their review show Half in the Bag. Stoklasa and Bauman criticized Jack and Jill for recycling gags from Sandler's previous films as well as incessant product placement. They also came to the conclusion that the film was an "embezzlement scheme" using a high budget of $79 million with much of it going to Adam Sandler and his friends but with little effort to make a quality film. Bauman went on to say that Jack and Jill is so egregious that it "ceases to be called a movie."

The Cast

Adam Sandler as Jack Sadelstein / Jill Sadelstein
Katie Holmes as Erin Sadelstein
Al Pacino as himself
Eugenio Derbez as Felipe
Tim Meadows as Ted
Nick Swardson as Todd
Allen Covert as Joel Farley / Otto
Valerie Mahaffey as Bitsy Simmons
Gad Elmaleh as Xavier
Gary Valentine as Dallas
Dana Carvey as Crazy Puppeteer

Due Date (2010)

Due Date is a 2010 American comedy road film directed by Todd Phillips, co-written by Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, and Adam Sztykiel, and starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. The film was released on November 5, 2010. The film was shot in Las Cruces, New Mexico and Atlanta, Georgia.

The Plot

Peter Highman (Robert Downey, Jr.) is a high strung, type A architect on his way home from Atlanta to Los Angeles to be present at the birth of his first child, a scheduled C-section, with his wife, Sarah (Michelle Monaghan) In the opening scene he recalls a dream he had about being in a forest with his wife who is in labor. He's unable to reach her and help deliver the child, but a grizzly bear ends up helping and chewing through the umbilical cord. He sees this as a good sign. Once on the plane, Peter learns that Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis), who had just prior to boarding at the airport, been a passenger in a vehicle that knocked the door off the limo Peter had been in, is sitting behind him in first class. After inadvertently using the words "terrorist" and "bomb", Ethan gets Peter shot by a Federal Air Marshal (Steven M. Gagnon) with a rubber bullet. Both Peter and Ethan are forced off the plane before take-off.

After being questioned by security, Peter discovers that he has been placed on the No Fly List and will have to find another way to get to California. After realizing that he had left his wallet on the plane, Peter reluctantly agrees to travel with Ethan, an aspiring actor hoping to make it in Hollywood, to Los Angeles. Ethan is on his way to Hollywood with his dog Sonny after the funeral of his father, and is carrying his father's ashes in a coffee can for the duration of the trip.

After stopping in Birmingham, Alabama to purchase marijuana, Peter and Ethan realize that they only have $60 in cash between them. Peter decides to have his wife transfer him money. Since he doesn't have any legitimate I.D on him, Peter has his wife transfer the money in Ethan's assumed last name. Once at Western Union, Ethan realizes that the money has been sent to his stage name instead of his real name, Ethan Chase, the name printed on his I.D. The Western Union employee (Danny McBride) refuses to accept Ethan's head shot as proof of ID and declines the transfer. Frustrated and on edge, Peter verbally attacks the man who, despite being a wheel chair-bound veteran, ends up assaulting him and Ethan.

After spending the night at a rest stop, Peter decides on the spur of the moment to drive off and leave Ethan there while he washes up in the rest room, only to return several minutes later after wrestling with his conscience and coming close to throwing Ethan's father's ashes off an overpass. Ethan ends up driving while Peter gets some rest. After driving a while, Ethan falls asleep at the wheel and the car crashes. At a Dallas hospital, Peter, who has a broken arm and three cracked ribs, is picked up by his friend Darryl (Jamie Foxx). Again, Peter decides to part company with Ethan, but is persuaded to think twice by his friend. He reluctantly decides to allow Ethan to come along. Stopping at Darryl's house, Peter finds out during the course of the conversation that nine months prior, Darryl and Sarah had spent a weekend together. This leads Ethan to suspect Darryl of being the father of Sarah and Peter's unborn child. After a mere eight minutes in the company of Ethan, Darryl is throwing him out of his home.

Darryl lets them use his Range Rover and, while driving, Ethan smokes copious amounts of marijuana as Peter dozes. The smoke fills the interior of the vehicle, intoxicating Peter, causing him to hallucinate and sees Ethan as the bear from his dream. The two accidentally end up at the United States-Mexican border in El Paso when Ethan mistakes the 'Mexico' sign at the border crossing for a 'Texaco' gas station. Despite assurances to Peter that he'll handle the situation, Ethan flees from the border checkpoint and leaves Peter to be arrested for possession of marijuana. After being taken into custody by the Mexican Federal Police, Peter is broken out by Ethan who steals a border patrol truck in the process.

The duo stop at the Grand Canyon where Ethan finally finds it in him to say goodbye to his father and scatter his ashes. Peter confesses that he did try to leave Ethan back at the rest area and apologizes. Ethan then decides to make a confession of his own and reveals that he's been holding onto Peter's wallet the whole time. Peter attacks Ethan in a fit of rage. Sarah calls during the attack to inform Peter that her water has broken. Peter and Ethan immediately begin to speed to California. Along the way, Ethan accidentally shoots Peter with a gun he finds in the truck's glove compartment. Peter by this time, already injured and perhaps slightly insane from prolonged exposure to Ethan, refuses to stop for medical attention and instead insists that they continue on to the hospital in L.A.

Arriving at the hospital while Sarah is in labor, Peter passes out from loss of blood. Peter and Sarah's healthy Caucasian baby girl is seen later in the nursery confirming that it was not Darryl's baby. Ethan recounts to Peter that he had assisted in Rosie's birth by cutting the umbilical cord, thus alluding to Peter's dream at the beginning of the movie. The two go their separate ways with the promise that Peter will call Ethan to keep their friendship intact.

At the end of the film, Peter, Sarah, and Rosie watch an episode of Two and a Half Men, in which Ethan has landed a role.

Reviews

Due Date received mixed to negative reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 39% "rotten", or a 5.2/10 rating, based on 177 reviews. The consensus is, "Shamelessly derivative and only sporadically funny, Due Date doesn't live up to the possibilities suggested by its talented director and marvelously mismatched stars." Metacritic gives the film a "mixed or average" score of 51%, based on reviews from 39 critics.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film two and a half stars out of a possible four, noting "The movie probably contains enough laughs to satisfy the weekend audience. Where it falls short is in the characters and relationships." Ebert compares Due Date to the 1987 film Planes, Trains and Automobiles but bemoans that Due Date could have learned and offered more.

The Cast

Robert Downey Jr. as Peter Highman
 Zach Galifianakis as Ethan Tremblay / Ethan Chase / Stu
 Michelle Monaghan as Sarah Highman
 Jamie Foxx as Darryl
 Juliette Lewis as Heidi
 Danny McBride as Lonnie
  Jakob Ulrich as Patrick
 Naiia Ulrich as Alex
 Todd Phillips as Barry
 Bobby Tisdale as Carl
  Mimi Kennedy as Sarah's Mom

Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)

Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a 2008 romantic comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, distributed by The Weinstein Company, and starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. It is Smith's second film (after Jersey Girl) not to be set within the View Askewniverse and the first not set in New Jersey. It was released on October 31, 2008. The poor box office performance of the film damaged Smith's relationship with producer Harvey Weinstein after Smith blamed Weinstein for not spending enough to market the movie, an allegation Weinstein denies.

The Plot

Zack Brown (Seth Rogen) and Miriam "Miri" Linky (Elizabeth Banks) are roommates in Monroeville, Pennsylvania (a Pittsburgh suburb). They have been friends since the first grade. Despite Miri working at the local shopping mall and Zack working at a coffee shop, they have not paid their utility bills in months, with Zack devoting much of his free time to a fanatic following of the Pittsburgh Penguins and his status in the community amateur hockey team, the Monroeville Zombies. After work, their water gets turned off before they go to their high school reunion.

At the reunion, Miri attempts to seduce her attractive former classmate Bobby Long (Brandon Routh), while Zack strikes up a conversation with Brandon St. Randy (Justin Long), who reveals that he is a gay porn star, and Bobby's boyfriend. After returning home from the reunion, the apartment's electricity is turned off. Inspired by a successful viral video that was filmed by a pair of teenage boys as Miri changed in Zack's place of work for the reunion (revealing that she wore unattractive underwear, "granny panties"), and emboldened by the cultural mainstreaming of pornographic entertainment, Zack convinces Miri that they should film a pornographic movie to earn money.

Gathering a group of acquaintances and hired help as the cast and crew, they decide to film a pornographic Star Wars parody, entitled Star Whores. Delaney (Craig Robinson), the film's producer and Zack's coworker, rents film equipment and a building to use as a studio. When they return to the studio after the first night of filming, the building is being demolished, with all the equipment and costumes inside. They are told that the man that rented it to them had run off with the money. Later at the coffee shop where Zack works, he realizes that his boss threatened to install a hidden camera, which Zack finds, and decides to use it to replace their lost film equipment. Zack retools his film to take place in the coffee shop, revamping the film to one with a coffee shop motif, Swallow My Cockuccino, and the group shoots the film after hours.

Despite their insistence that they would not let sex with each other affect their friendship, Zack and Miri soon develop romantic feelings for each other. When it comes time for Zack and Miri to have sex on camera, they find that instead of the clinical sex enacted by the actors in the other scenes, their interlude is romantic and heartfelt. Later that evening, Zack and Miri are at home when suddenly their apartment's electricity and water service return. The rest of the actors and crew show up and reveal that they pooled their resources to pay one month of their bills, and have come over to throw them a party.

At the party, one of the other actresses, Stacey (Katie Morgan) asks Miri if it is okay for her to ask Zack to have sex. Although Miri has realized that she has developed feelings for Zack, she tells her it is okay to ask him. When Stacey relates this to Zack, the two retreat to Zack's bedroom, much to Miri's dismay.

The next evening, Zack is preparing to film a scene between Stacey and another actor, Lester (Jason Mewes), that was supposed to have been with Lester and Miri. Zack is dismayed when Miri shows up and insists on shooting the scene as originally planned. In the back room, an incredulous Zack asks if she is doing this as a form of retaliation, pointing out that Stacey told him that Miri did not mind her sleeping with Zack. Miri corrects him, clarifying that she did not mind that Stacey merely made the offer to sleep with him. Perceiving this to have been some type of test, Zack admits that during the sex scene they filmed together, they were actually making love and that there was an emotional connection between them, and that he loves Miri. When Miri does not reciprocate, Zack storms out of the coffee shop, quitting the film and his job, and moves out of the apartment.

Three months later, Delaney goes to see Zack, who has moved on to an exterior concessions job at Mellon Arena during Pittsburgh Penguins games. Delaney convinces him to come to Delaney's home to see the unfinished movie and help complete it. Zack agrees, and as Delaney and the cameraman Deacon (Jeff Anderson) explain, Zack learns that Miri never filmed her sex scene with Lester. Zack goes to Miri's apartment and reveals to her that he never slept with Stacey; instead, they talked about Miri all night. He pours his heart out to Miri, proclaiming his love for her, which she reciprocates.

In the epilogue, the audience learns that Zack and Miri are married, and with the help of Delaney and his worker's compensation settlement, they start their own video production company, Zack and Miri Make Your Porno, which makes amateur videos for couples.

Reviews

Based on 105 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes reported that the film has a "fresh" rating of 65 percent and a mixed rating of 50% from "top" critics based on 34 reviews. Based on 31 reviews, Metacritic gave a score of 56, which equates to a "Mixed or average reviews" rating. Michael Phillips of Chicago Tribune said the film, "pushes its R rating pretty hard, though as with most Smith characters this side of Silent Bob, there's a lot more raunch in the talk — the sheer, voluminous, often hilarious verbosity — than in the action." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the movie 3 stars out of a possible 4 stars and stated that, "Somehow Kevin Smith's very excesses defuse the material. He's like the guy at a party who tells dirty jokes so fast, Dangerfield-style, that you laugh more at the performance than the material." In retrospect, Smith explained why the film never fully caught on with the public and felt so "second-hand" by saying that, "Zack and Miri [Make a Porno] is literally me adulterating my own story...the story of how I made Clerks, with porn."

The Cast

Elizabeth Banks as Miri
 Seth Rogen as Zack
 Craig Robinson as Delaney
 Gerry Bednob as Mr. Surya
 Edward Janda as Customer

Jennifer Schwalbach Smith as Betsy
 Kenny Hotz as Zack II
 Brandon Routh as Bobby Long
 Anne Wade as Roxanne
 Justin Long as Brandon
 Tom Savini as Jenkins
 Jeff Anderson as Deacon

Zombieland (2009)

Zombieland is a 2009 American zombie comedy film directed by Ruben Fleischer from a screenplay written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. The film stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin as survivors of a zombie apocalypse. Together they take an extended road trip across Southwestern United States in an attempt to find a sanctuary free from zombies.

Zombieland received positive critical reviews and was a commercial success, grossing more than $60.8 million in 17 days and surpassing the 2004 film Dawn of the Dead as the top-grossing zombie film to date in the United States.

The Plot

A mutated strain of mad cow disease has turned most humans into cannibalistic zombies within two months after the initial outbreak. Unaffected loner college student "Columbus" (Jesse Eisenberg) is attempting to make his way to Columbus, Ohio to see whether his parents are still alive, more out of a sense of obligation than any real concern. Along a stretch of highway, he meets "Tallahassee" (Woody Harrelson), another wandering survivor who seems driven solely by his desire to find Twinkies. They elect to travel together.

The two men enter a local grocery store (looking for Twinkies), where they dispatch a number of the infected. In a back room, they encounter "Wichita" (Emma Stone) and her younger, 12-year-old sister "Little Rock" (Abigail Breslin). The sisters were con artists before the catastrophe, and have little trouble tricking Tallahassee and Columbus into handing over their weapons. The girls leave, taking their vehicle in the process. Now forced to travel on foot, the two men find a Hummer stocked with weapons, with Tallahassee set out bent upon revenge, but when they catch up with the girls, the two once more gain the upper hand, relieving the men of their weapons and car again. Tallahassee manages to wrestle away Little Rock's gun, resulting in a Mexican standoff. Columbus negotiates an uneasy truce, and they all travel in the Hummer.

The girls state that they are going to the "Pacific Playland" amusement park, which is supposedly free of zombies. Columbus does not want to go along at first, but when Wichita informs him that his hometown has been destroyed, he stays with the group. When they reach Hollywood, Tallahassee takes them to Bill Murray's mansion. Tallahassee and Wichita meet Murray himself, uninfected but disguised as a zombie so he can walk (and golf) safely among the infected. When Murray attempts to scare Columbus and Little Rock as a practical joke, Columbus shoots him, believing him a real zombie. As Murray lies dying, Little Rock asks if he had any regrets, to which he replies with his last breath, "Garfield, maybe." Later, Columbus discovers Tallahassee has been grieving for his young son, lost to the zombies, rather than his dog as he had earlier led Columbus to believe. Wichita nearly kisses Columbus, but fearing attachment, she leaves with Little Rock for Pacific Playland without warning. Columbus persuades a reluctant Tallahassee to follow in one of Murray's vehicles.

At Pacific Playland, Wichita and Little Rock activate all the rides and lights, attracting nearby hordes of zombies. A battle ensues, leaving the two trapped on a drop tower ride. Tallahassee and Columbus arrive just as the sisters' ammunition runs out. Tallahassee lures the zombies away, then locks himself in a game booth, shooting zombies at his leisure, while Columbus goes after the sisters. In gratitude for having been rescued, Wichita reveals her real name is Krista. Tallahassee eliminates the remaining zombies, then blissfully consumes a Twinkie that Little Rock has found. The group leaves Pacific Playland together after Little Rock and Witchita give the men a scare by pretending to leave them behind. Then, Columbus realizes he's finally found what he's been lacking: a family.

Reviews

The film received critical acclaim. Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reports 90% of critics gave the film positive write-ups based on 184 reviews, with a rating of 7.3/10, and a generally positive 88% approval rating from "top" critics based on 29 reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews from mainstream critics, the film holds a "generally favorable" score of 73% based on 31 reviews.

Film critic Roger Ebert was surprised by Zombieland's ability to be significantly humorous while zombies remained the focus of the film and felt that "all of this could have been dreary, but not here. The filmmakers show invention and well-tuned comic timing". He credited Bill Murray's cameo appearance as receiving the "single biggest laugh" of the year, and gave the film 3 out of 4 stars. Murray's cameo was called out for attention by other reviewers: Marc Savlov of Austin Chronicle credited it as "the single most outrageously entertaining unexpected celebrity cameo of any film—genre or otherwise—" that he had seen in a "long, long time" and that while the film did little to advance the genre, its smart script and high action made it very enjoyable. He categorized Zombieland as being "dead set against being dead serious" with its tonal pallor "having more in common with a foreshortened It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World than with 28 Days or Weeks Later".

The film's witty use of dialogue and popular culture was also praised by Ty Burr of The Boston Globe, who said the film "makes no claims to greatness" but that what it "has instead—in spades—is deliciously weary end-of-the-world banter"; Michael Ordona of Los Angeles Times praised director Fleischer for "bringing impeccable timing and bloodthirsty wit to the proceedings".

Some reviewers saw deeper levels in the plot and cinematography: cinematographer Michael Bonvillain was praised for capturing "some interesting images amid the post-apocalyptic carnival of carnage, as when he transforms the destruction of a souvenir shop into a rough ballet", while Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com said "the picture is beautifully paced" and highlighted "a halcyon middle section where, in what could be viewed as a sideways homage to Rebel Without a Cause, our rootless wanderers share a brief respite in an empty, lavish mansion".

Claudia Puig of USA Today said that "underlying the carnage in Zombieland is a sweetly beating heart", and that "This road movie/horror flick/dark comedy/earnest romance/action film hybrid laces a gentle drollness through all the bloody mayhem". Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwarzbaum concluded, "At the bone, Zombieland is a polished, very funny road picture shaped by wisenheimer cable-TV sensibilities and starring four likable actors, each with an influential following".

Josh Levin of Slate drew parallels with Adventureland: in both films Jesse Eisenberg tries to win over his dream girl, a girl who has been hardened by life, and both feature a theme park. He goes so far as to call the film "an undead Adventureland—a Pride and Prejudice and Zombies for the Facebook generation".

Time magazine's Richard Corliss described the film as "an exhilarating ride, start to finish" and reasoned "Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg set a high bar for this subgenre with Shaun of the Dead, but Reese, Werner and Fleischer may have trumped them". "This isn't just a good zombie comedy. It's a damn fine movie, period. And that's high praise, coming from a vampire guy", he stated.

Not all comparisons with Shaun of the Dead were favorable: Joshua Rothkopf of Time Out New York characterized the "extra injection of pop-culture neuroticism" as "the one innovation" of the film, declaring that while Zombieland was funny, it wasn't particularly scary and stated that it "simply isn't as witty as Shaun of the Dead, forever the yuks-meet-yucks standard". Similarly, The Globe and Mail's Rick Groen said "it's far more charming than chilling and way more funny than frightening", though he suggested that Rule No. 32 to 'enjoy the little things' was worth observing for a light comedy. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times classified the film as "a minor diversion dripping in splatter and groaning with self-amusement" and lamented the lack of a real plot more concrete than a series of comedy takes on zombie-slaying.

The Cast

Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus
 Woody Harrelson as Tallahassee
 Emma Stone as Wichita
 Abigail Breslin as Little Rock
 Amber Heard as 406
 Bill Murray as Himself

Get Him to the Greek (2010)

Get Him to the Greek is a 2010 American comedy film written, produced, and directed by Nicholas Stoller and starring Jonah Hill and Russell Brand. The film was released on June 4, 2010. Get Him to the Greek is a spin-off sequel of Stoller's 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, reuniting director Stoller with stars Hill and Brand. Brand reprises his role as character Aldous Snow from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, while Hill plays an entirely new character. The film also stars Elisabeth Moss, Rose Byrne, and P Diddy.

The Plot

British rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) a man with extreme talent who runs quick, releases an album—and a titular single—"African Child", which is a commercial and critical failure. Despite having been drug and alcohol free for seven years, along with his pop-star girlfriend Jackie Q (Rose Byrne), when—in an interview—she drunkenly declares they have a boring life, he relapses—which effectively ends his relationship with her, makes him lose custody of their son, Naples, and sabotages his career.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) works as a low-level talent scout at Pinnacle Records, a successful record company. He lives with his girlfriend, Daphne (Elisabeth Moss), a medical intern. Pinnacle Records is losing a lot of money as a result of poor record sales, and the head of the company, Sergio Roma (Diddy), asks for ideas. Green proposes that Aldous Snow play at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on the tenth anniversary of his legendary performance there. Sergio sends Aaron to London to escort Aldous to the performance. Before he leaves, Daphne informs Aaron that she has received a job offer in Seattle and that they are moving there, which leads to an argument resulting in an apparent break-up.

After retrieving Aldous from his apartment, Aaron tries futilely to control Aldous's rambunctious behavior, which causes them to miss several flights. They bar-hop across the city for several hours, leaving a trail of women and alcohol in their wake. Daphne calls Aaron to apologize for the fight, only to learn that Aaron believes that they are broken up. Throughout his partying, Aaron's cellphone accidentally calls Daphne periodically, informing her of Aaron's activities.

Aaron and Aldous travel to New York for Aldous's appearance on Today. To keep Aldous sober for his performance, Aaron imbibes all of Aldous's whiskey and marijuana. Minutes before the performance, Aldous realizes he is unable to remember the lyrics to his most recent and unpopular song, "African Child", and replaces it with an older hit, "The Clap", to cheers and excitement from the audience.

About to embark on a flight to Los Angeles, Aldous forces Aaron to smuggle heroin in his rectum. During their travels, Aaron learns that Aldous has become miserable and lonely, as he misses his son and has been alienated from his own father Jonathan (Colm Meaney) for years. Aaron suggests he visit him after the show; instead Aldous insists they go to Las Vegas to see Jonathan. Sergio soon arrives, with plans to "mindfuck" Aldous to Los Angeles. Sergio hooks up Aaron with a sexually rambunctious girl named Destiny (Carla Gallo), who takes him to a hotel room and rapes him. After Aaron tells Aldous that he has been raped, Aldous gives him a "Jeffrey", a joint described as "a Neapolitan of drugs". Aaron panics and starts to have a bad trip, believing he is having a heart attack. Jonathan makes the trip worse by agreeing that Aaron is having a heart attack while Aldous attempts to calm Aaron down, primarily by the comforting sensation of stroking the furry walls of the hotel suite. Aldous fights with his father; Sergio (who is also high) jumps in the fight, and inadvertently sets the lounge on fire. Aldous attempts to help Aaron by giving him an adrenaline shot and they run out of the hotel, chased by Sergio, who is hit by a car but comes out unharmed.

Aldous and Aaron flee to Los Angeles, where Aldous visits Jackie Q. She has been sleeping with Metallica's drummer, Lars Ulrich (playing himself) and confesses that Naples is not actually his biological son, but instead is a photographer's son. This depresses him even further. Meanwhile, Aaron goes to his home to apologize to Daphne. They are interrupted when Aldous arrives at their house and proposes that he, Aaron, and Daphne engage in a threesome; Daphne (who is mad at Aaron) agrees and Aaron hesitantly goes along. During the threesome, Aaron angrily decides to kiss Aldous, breaking it up. Daphne and Aaron both immediately regret the threesome, and Aaron angrily tells Aldous to go, criticizing Aldous's overall mental state.

Instead of preparing for his show, Aldous goes to the rooftop of the Standard Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, and calls Aaron, threatening to jump. Aaron rushes to the hotel, and attempts to coax Aldous down from the roof. Instead, Aldous jumps into a rooftoop pool several floors down, accidentally breaking an arm. Aldous tells Aaron that he is lonely, sad and embarrassed, but Aaron reminds Aldous that thousands of fans love him and are waiting just to see him. Aldous decides to perform at the Greek Theatre despite his injury, even though Aaron pleas for him to go to the hospital. Upon their arrival, Sergio offers Aaron drugs to give to Aldous so he will not cancel the concert. Aaron angrily refuses and quits his job on the spot. He walks stage-side with Aldous, trying to convince him to go to the hospital instead. However, Aaron sees how happy Aldous is while performing and heads home to reconcile with Daphne.

Months later in Seattle (where Aaron and Daphne have moved), Aldous, sober once again, has returned to fame with a single "Furry Walls" produced by Aaron (now his official producer) based on events from their night in Las Vegas, performing on the VH1 Storytellers program.

Reviews

The film has received generally positive reviews. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 73% based on 183 reviews, with an average score of 6.3/10 The critical consensus is: "Thanks to a suitably raunchy script and a pair of winning performances from Jonah Hill and Russell Brand, Get Him to the Greek is one of the year's funniest comedies."

Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 65, based on 39 reviews.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars by saying that "under the cover of slapstick, cheap laughs, raunchy humor, gross-out physical comedy and sheer exploitation, Get Him to the Greek also is fundamentally a sound movie."

The Cast

Russell Brand as Aldous Snow
 Rose Byrne as Jackie Q
 Tyler McKinney as African Child in Video
 Zoe Salmon as Herself
 Lino Facioli as Naples
 Lars Ulrich as Himself
 Mario López as Himself
 Pink as Herself
 Billy Bush as Himself
 Kurt Loder as Himself
 Christina Aguilera as Herself
 Colm Meaney as Jonathan Snow
 Danny O'Leary as Himself
 Jonah Hill as Aaron Green
 Elisabeth Moss as Daphne Binks
 Aziz Ansari as Matty
 Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs as Sergio Roma (as Sean Combs)
 Kali Hawk as Kali
 Nick Kroll as Kevin

The Big Year (2011)

The Big Year is a 2011 comedy film starring Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Jim Parsons, Rashida Jones, Anjelica Huston, Dianne Wiest, JoBeth Williams, Brian Dennehy, Rosamund Pike and Tim Blake Nelson. The Big Year was directed by David Frankel and written by Howard Franklin. The film was based on the book The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession which was written by Mark Obmascik. The film was released on October 14, 2011, in the United States. Filming took place from May to July 2010. The film was released in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2011.

The Plot

A group of bird enthusiasts set on a big year, a quest to outdo each other by finding the most species of birds in North America. Their competition is an allegory for the challenges faced in their lives. Check out the trailer for more information as it's hard to describe the plot without any spoilers.

Reviews

The film has received mixed reviews from critics. It holds a 39% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with the consensus stating: "Though made with care and affection for its characters, The Big Year plods along, rarely reaching any comedic heights". CinemaScore polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was a "B-minus" on an A+ to F scale.

The film was a box office failure, despite the established stars like Martin, Black and Wilson as the leads. Based on a budget of $41 million, it took in just $7 million in ticket sales.

The Cast

Jack Black as Brad Harris
 Zahf Paroo as Prasad
 John Cleese as Historical Montage Narrator
 Owen Wilson as Kenny Bostick
 Rosamund Pike as Jessica
 Steve Martin as Stu Preissler
 Kevin Pollak as Jim Gittelson
 Joel McHale as Barry Loomis
 JoBeth Williams as Edith Preissler
 Paul Campbell as Tony
 Cindy Busby as Susie
 Greg Kean as Computer Birder
 Eva Allan as Birder's Daughter
 Bill Dow as Dr. Paul Elkin
 Barry Shabaka Henley as Dr. Neil Kramer
 Dianne Wiest as Brenda Harris
 Brian Dennehy as Raymond Harris
 Calum Worthy as Colin Debs
 Anthony Anderson as Bill Clemont
 Jim Parsons as Crane
 Anjelica Huston as Annie Auklet
 Rashida Jones as Ellie
 Tim Blake Nelson as Fuchs
 Joey Aresco as Frank Falucci
 Ryan Caltagirone as Frank Jr.