Wanderlust is the
latest comedy to come out of the Judd Apatow factory. It was directed by David
Wain and reunites him with several members of the sketch comedy show, The State, including Ken Marino, who co-wrote
the screenplay with him. Wain's first feature film was 2001's Wet Hot American Summer, a cult classic
that was a spoof of 80's summer camp comedies like Meatballs. His biggest hit to date was Role Models with Paul Rudd as an energy drink pitchman dissatisfied
with his life.
In Wanderlust,
Rudd is George, a white collar worker seemingly satisfied with his life. He's
married to the beautiful Linda (Jennifer Aniston), a documentary filmmaker, and
they've just bought a "micro-loft" in the trendy West Village of
Manhattan. Never mind that the cramped accommodations are a glorified studio apartment,
it's a sound investment says their real estate broker. Then, the bottom drops
out. HBO turns down Linda's new doc about penguins with testicular cancer and
George's firm is shut down due to revelations of massive fraud. The
not-so-happy couple is forced to move into the Atlanta McMansion of George's
overbearing brother, Rick (Marino). During the road trip, George and Linda take
a detour into a hippy commune called Elysium and are drawn to stay by a life
unburdened of the trappings of modern society.
Wanderlust is rife
with great, comedic performances from a game supporting cast. Marino is very
funny as the obnoxious Rick with Michaela Watkins as his put upon wife. The
denizens of Elysium are a colorful batch of characters led by Justin Theroux as
their guru, Seth, whose outdated knowledge of technology consists of laserdiscs,
FAX machines, and Walkmans. Alan Alda co-stars as Carvin, the community's burnt
out founder, who rides around on an electric scooter. There's also Malin
Akerman as the sexy bombshell, Eva, and Joe Lo Truglio as a wine making nudist.
When he's not stomping grapes for his homemade wine, he's attempting to write a
Robert Ludlum-esque political thriller.
There's good chemistry between Rudd and Aniston, having
previously worked together in The Object
of My Affection. Aniston gets to play it looser than usual though she
doesn't get as outrageous as the sexpot dentist in Horrible Bosses. Rudd is always entertaining as the exasperated
straight man. He gets the best scene in the film when he tries to psych himself
up to sleep with Eva by awkwardly spouting dirty talk in front of a mirror.
Nothing else in Wanderlust can top
it. In fact, the bloopers shown over the end credits were the only other thing
I laughed at. Rudd is naturally funny, especially when it feels like he's
working off the cuff. However, the humor in Wanderlust is strained
and full of tired jokes about hippies and their lack of hygiene. There's also a
lame subplot involving real estate developers threatening Elysium.
In 1985, Albert Brooks wrote, directed, and starred in Lost in America, a sharp comedy with he
and Julie Hagerty as yuppie Los Angelinos. They leave behind their lives to
travel across the country in a Winnebago only to discover their old,
materialistic ways were just fine. Wanderlust
isn't nearly as subversive or satirical. It's a rather pedestrian comedy, despite
all the talent involved.
Rating: * ½ (*****)
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