The Campaign

The Campaign - Dir. Jay Roach (2012)

"War has rules. Mud wrestling has rules. Politics has no rules."

            -Ross Perot

Will Ferrell comedies are pretty easy to conceive. Simply drop the comedian into an environment like NASCAR or professional ice skating and then let him run loose with his trademark absurdist ravings. And what better place for those lunatic rants than the wacky world of politics.

Ferrell is Cam Brady, the Democratic Congressman for the state of North Carolina. He has run unopposed since his election and is about to enter his fifth term. That all changes when billionaire tycoons, Glen and Wade Motch (John Lithgow & Dan Aykroyd as thinly veiled parodies of the Koch Brothers) take a vested interest in the election as means to bring cheap Chinese labor to the U.S. The Motch Brothers choose Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), the tourism director for the small town of Hammond as their candidate. Huggins is the son of Raymond Huggins (Brian Cox), a bigwig in the Republican Party who has always seen Marty as a constant embarrassment. In steps campaign manager Tim Wattley (Dylan McDermott), a shadowy fixer sent in to butch up the effeminate Huggins. His chubby family is kept out of the public eye while his pugs are replaced by more American dogs, a golden retriever and a chocolate lab.

The Campaign was written by Shawn Harwell (HBO's Eastbound and Down) and Chris Henchy (The Other Guys) while Jay Roach handled directorial duties. Roach is best known for directing Austin Powers and Meet the Parents. He's had experience in political comedy as he helmed Recount and Game Change for HBO. The Campaign isn't exactly razor sharp satire and Roach's work here lies somewhere in between. The humor doesn't break any new ground as the film depicts politicians has inept, greedy, and just plain horny.

Ferrell plays it to the hilt as Brady is a concoction of Bill Clinton, John Edwards, and Ferrell's own impression of George W. Bush. He's an unrepentant philanderer spouting pedantic sound bites to rile up the rubes ("America. Jesus. Freedom"). Meanwhile, Galifianakis recycles his portrayal of his mustachioed "brother" Seth as Marty Huggins. Their rivalry begins with trash talking and rises to absurd levels as Brady drunkenly steals a police car and punches a baby in the face. At one point, Brady runs a campaign ad connecting Huggins' facial hair to that of Saddam Hussein and bin Laden.  There's a dinner table scene at the Huggins house that's reminiscent of Talladega Nights. Dylan McDermott and Karen Murayama provide funny supporting performances with the latter as a housekeeper paid extra to speak like a stereotypical mammy.

The Campaign lacks any teeth as the filmmakers try their best to straddle the thin line between red and blue states. They attempt to skewer everyone with gags relying on raunchiness and slapstick. If you want profanity and intelligence in your satire, Armando Iannucci's In the Loop is a better bet. Still, The Campaign is amusing enough and moves at a brisk pace.

Rating: ** ½ (*****)

The Muppets

The Muppets - Dir. James Bobin (2011)

It's time to play the music
It's time to light the lights
It's time to meet the Muppets
On the Muppet Show tonight.

When Jason Segel met with Disney executives about making a new Muppet movie, they thought he was joking. Segel's life-long love for the characters shined through in the Dracula-themed musical from Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Segel and Marshall director Nicholas Stoller co-wrote this revival of the franchise that attempts to introduce the Muppets to a whole new audience.

Gary (Segel) and his twin brother Walter (voiced by Peter Linz) have lived all their lives in the happy Midwest burg of Smalltown, USA. Never mind the fact that Gary is a human and Walter is a puppet. Gary and his girlfriend, Mary (Amy Adams), are planning a trip to Hollywood. The romantic trip for two becomes a three's a company situation when Gary invites diehard Muppet fan Walter along to see the Muppets Studio. They are saddened to see it has been abandoned and left in disrepair. Walter is even more shocked when he overhears evil tycoon Tex Richman plans to tear down it down and drill for oil.

Walter, Gary, and Mary convince Kermit the Frog to reunite the Muppets and put on a show in order to save the studio. No easy task as everyone has gone their separate ways. Miss Piggy is living in Paris as the editor-in-chief for the French edition of Vogue. Gonzo is a successful manufacturer of bathroom fixtures, Fozzie plays with a tribute band called the Moopets, and Animal is in anger management.

While Segel should be commended for ushering in the return of the Muppets, the movie does get sidetracked by the human characters played by him and Adams. Both tackle their roles with an endearing earnestness, but the movie is called The Muppets for a reason. The complications in the romance between Gary and Mary aren't nearly as interesting as the on-again/off-again love story between Kermit and Miss Piggy. At times, Walter feels like a bland fan-fiction character that's being forced on the public, but his innocent charm is all that saves him from being a major annoyance.

Nitpicks aside, The Muppets is a witty and joyous picture strengthened by infectious musical numbers and clever meta-textual humor. The characters break the fourth wall on numerous occasions with jokes about montages and traveling by map ala Indiana Jones. Segel and Stoller's screenplay pays service to older fans with several references to The Muppet Movie, such as Sweetums appearance at the car dealership and Kermit's "standard rich and famous" contract. Segel also utilizes all the popular Muppets like Rowlf, Dr. Teeth, and the Swedish Chef and even some of the obscure ones like Lew Zealand and Uncle Deadly.

The new music of The Muppets won't stand the test of time the way "Rainbow Connection" has, but they are energetic and irreverent thanks to the supervision of Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords. Conchords' director James Bobin also helmed the film. The opening number, "Life's a Happy Song," sets the stage for the rest of the movie with its old-fashioned, Music Man-style feel. The soundtrack also features the forlorn "Pictures in My Head" and the disco flavored "Me Party" sung by Miss Piggy and the delightful Amy Adams. There's also the bizarre experience of watching Chris Cooper rap about his villainous scheme with "Let's Talk About Me." They are bolstered by Muppet infused covers like a barbershop take on "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and a version of Cee-Lo Green's "F*ck You" sung by chickens ("Cluck You?"). Without a doubt, the number the best song on the soundtrack is the existential ballad, "Man or Muppet?" with a surprise cameo that received a rousing reaction from my audience.

Speaking of cameos, in grand Muppet tradition, The Muppets is littered with cameos that include Mickey Rooney, Zach Galifianakis, Neil Patrick Harris, and Sarah Silverman with James Carville as the most random. Some of the better cameos were Alan Arkin as a sardonic tour guide, Dave Grohl as the Moopets' drummer, and Emily Blunt essentially reprising her role from The Devil Wears Prada. Even more cameos from folks like Lady Gaga, Danny Trejo, and Ricky Gervais were left on the cutting room floor.

Despite a few minor quibbles, The Muppets is one of the most joyous cinematic experiences of the year. After modern missteps like Muppets from Space and the made-for-TV The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Segel's Muppets puts Jim Henson's beloved creations on the right track and hearkens back to the heyday of The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan.

Rating: *** (*****)

The Hangover: Part II

The Hangover: Part II - Dir. Todd Phillips (2011)

Sequels can go two ways. The creators can take the story in a completely different direction than the original film and risk alienating audiences, who might complain they lost sight of what made the first installment so successful. The sequel could also stick closely to the plot structure of its predecessor and risk fans complaining that the filmmakers are simply recycling ideas. The Hangover Part II is guilty of the latter, a sequel that rigidly follows the same formula of its 2009 forerunner.

The Wolfpack is back for another round of drunken revelry. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis return as the three best friends anyone could have. In his own words, Stu (Helms), the straight-laced dentist is still trying to put the fragile pieces of his psyche back together following the strange events in Las Vegas. He's not taking any chances now that it's his turn to get married. Unfortunately, it is not to the stripper from the first film. Part II earns its first strike with the exclusion of Heather Graham's sweet-natured Jade. There are only passing references to their relationship as Stu is getting hitched to a pretty young Asian named Lauren (Jamie Chung). We learn absolutely nothing about their romance because it only exists as a flimsy excuse to take the protagonists to Thailand.

Stu is reluctantly convinced to have a round of beers on the beach with his pals and future brother-in-law, Teddy (Mason Lee, son of director Ang Lee), a pre-med student and child prodigy. Faster than you can say, "Here we go again," Stu, Phil (Cooper), and Alan (Galifianakis) wake up the following morning in a sweltering Bangkok hotel room with no recollection of how they got there. Alan's head is shaved bald, Stu has a tribal tattoo plastered on his face, and there's a Capuchin monkey wearing a denim jacket. Even worse, there's no sign of Teddy save for his finger and Stanford class ring. Once more, the gang must follow a trail of breadcrumbs that takes them through seedy back alleys, dens of iniquity, and a Buddhist monastery.

Sound familiar? It should since director Todd Phillips and company have essentially remade the same exact picture. The sequel begins in a similar fashion to the first picture. Phil makes a defeated phone call to Doug's wife, Tracy (Sasha Barrese), followed by an opening credits sequence set to Danzig and a frantic search through the city for their missing friend. The end credits are a near carbon copy of the earlier Hangover with a series of photos of their wild night as Flo Rida rings through the theater. Even Mike Tyson returns for a cameo though he sings a different 80's hit tune (Murray Head's "One Night in Bangkok," natch). Ken Jeong also returns as the effeminate gangster, Mr. Leslie Chow. This time, he's a member of the wedding party, invited as Alan's plus one. A little Ken Jeong goes a long way. He can be funny in small doses, such as his recurring role on NBC's Community. Unfortunately, Phillips didn't get the memo and Jeong's routine is too forced and grating to be amusing.

Without Chow as an antagonist, the Wolfpack run into another mobster played by Paul Giamatti as well as a pair of Russian drug dealers. Giamatti isn't known for giving a bad performance and he's great for the brief time he has in the movie. Actor/director Nick Cassavetes also makes a quick appearance as a tattoo artist, a role that generated a lot of press before the movie's release. Mel Gibson was originally set for the character before negative reaction from members of the cast and crew put the kibosh on it. Gibson was replaced by Liam Neeson, who was unable to reprise the role when Phillips needed to reshoot the scene. Considering the revolving door of actors, you'd think the character would be noteworthy. Instead, he's there simply to divulge vital exposition to get the boys to their next destination.

Because the screenplay by Craig Mazin and Scot Armstrong is so concerned with adhering to the plot structure of its predecessor, it forgets that the budding friendship of the leads was the backbone of The Hangover. Not that the protagonists have grown much. Bradley Cooper is the same as the group's overgrown frat boy. Zach Galifianakis has some of the movie's funniest lines, but his Alan has lost some of the eccentric charm since last we saw him. He's more annoying than child-like and just a bit disturbing. Of the main trio, Ed Helms probably fares the worst. Helms has some good scenes in the first half of the film, but eventually regresses to screaming and flailing his limbs about. The jokes also regress to a series of tasteless and uninventive gags that exist purely for shock value. I'm sure the Thailand Board of Tourism will be excited to see their country depicted as a haven for violent drug dealers, underage prostitution, and she-male strippers.

I may lose my cinephile credentials when I saw I enjoyed it. The Hangover may have been a vulgar farce appealing to the lowest common denominator, but I was thoroughly entertained. The same can't be said for The Hangover Part II. Despite a few chuckles, the sequel is a witless rehash full of lazy, gross-out humor.

Rating: * ½ (*****)

Due Date

Due Date - Dir. Todd Phillips (2010)

Due Date had all the makings of a great comedy. It paired two talented actors on hot streaks in Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis for a variation on Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Plus, it was directed by Todd Phillips as the follow-up to The Hangover, the highest grossing R-rated comedy in the United States. Sadly, Due Date winds up being an uneven film that labors to get a few giggles.

Peter Highman (Downey) is a tightly wound architect waiting for his wife (Michelle Monaghan) to give birth to their first child. On a business trip to Atlanta, he plans to catch the next flight to Los Angeles with time to spare. Unfortunately, Peter bumps into the eccentric Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis), a wannabe actor accompanied by his French Bulldog named Sonny. Ethan was inspired to go to Hollywood because of Two and a Half Men. Through a series of kooky circumstances, Peter and Ethan get booted off the plane and placed on the no-fly list. Having lost his wallet and ID on the airline, Peter is forced to ride with Ethan across the country to get to L.A. All sorts of shenanigans occur due to Peter's hot temper and Ethan's stupidity.

Ethan takes them on a detour to buy pot from a trashy Juliette Lewis and falls asleep at the wheel causing their car to careen off a bridge. Peter spends most of the movie alternately being befuddled and infuriated by Ethan's strange behavior.

Due Date has a rough time getting off the ground because its lead characters have been pushed too extremely in their disparate personalities. Downey is great as the straight man, but Peter is simply an unlikable guy. He's thrown off the flight partly because he's acting like a jerk. When we first meet Peter, he's yakking away on his Bluetooth earpiece, something he does constantly. I don't know about anybody else, but when I see people like that, I immediately think, "Douche." He spits on a dog, punches a kid, and suspects his wife of having an affair with little reason. Then, there's Ethan who is just too much of an idiot. At least in The Hangover, Galifianakis was sympathetic. Here, he's moronic beyond reason to the point that someone like him would have zero chance of survival in real life. Ethan is a poster boy for the Darwin Awards.

There are some funny moments to be found such as a wild highway chase after an encounter at a Mexican border crossing. Downey also gets into a brawl with a game Danny McBride as a paraplegic war vet working at a Western Union. However, Phillips loses momentum when he goes for lame, gross-out gags like a scene where Ethan and his dog masturbate in sync next to an incredulous Peter. Speaking of the dog, Phillips brings the cheap heat by cutting to reaction shots of the squishy faced dog just so the audience can go, "Aww."

The Hangover may not have been to everyone's tastes, but it went for broke in the crass, sophomoric humor department. Due Date struggles to reach that same level of manic energy and succeeds in only generating a few scattered laughs.

Rating: **

It's Kind of a Funny Story

It's Kind of a Funny Story - Dirs. Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden (2010)

A kid walks into a hospital and says he's thinking about killing himself. So the doctors have him committed. Okay, that joke wasn't exactly a laugh riot, but neither is It's Kind of a Funny Story. The film was produced by Focus Features, Universal's art house arm and like most pictures with an indie flavor, centers around emotionally damaged characters. With a score by Broken Social Scene, Funny Story is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest tailored to the MySpace generation.

Craig (Keir Gilchrist) is a 16-year old, New York City kid who seems to have his life in order. He attends a prestigious high school, gets good grades, and comes from a loving family. Yet, he suffers from depression and stress-induced vomiting. He pines for Nia (Zoe Kravitz), the girlfriend of his best friend, Aaron (Thomas Mann). Consumed by thoughts of suicide, Craig checks into a hospital hoping for a quick fix. Instead, he's admitted into the psych ward for an observational period of five days.

Craig finds himself surrounded by an assortment of oddballs and eccentrics. From a schizophrenic who utters seemingly random things to a Hasidic Jew who consumed too much acid and has an aversion to loud noises. He shares a room with an Egyptian man named Muqtada (Bernard White) who is the movie's version of Kesey's silent Chief. He hardly ever gets out of bed and never steps foot outside his room. Craig befriends Noelle (Emma Roberts), committed for self-mutilation, and Bobby (Zach Galifianakis in a dramatic twist on his man-child persona), a big teddy bear with unkempt hair. Bobby swipes doctor's scrubs and takes Craig on wacky adventures around the hospital.

The asylum of Funny Story is hardly the foreboding, soul-crushing institution that served as the setting for Cuckoo's Nest. There's no Nurse Ratched ruling the ward with an iron fist. Here, you have the new age-y named Dr. Eden Minerva (Viola Davis) and Smitty (Jeremy Davies), a hipster volunteer with a pork pie hat.

It's Kind of a Funny Story was based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Ned Vizzini and adapted for the screen by the filmmaking duo of Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden. The pair were responsible for two amazing films in Half-Nelson and Sugar. So it comes as a slight disappointment that Funny Story never reaches those same heights. Half-Nelson featured Ryan Gosling in an incredible performance as an inner city high school teacher struggling with drug addiction. It managed to avoid the cloying sentimentalism of overrated schmaltz like Dead Poets Society. Sugar was about both baseball and the immigrant's experience and not at all what you'd expect from a sports movie. Unlike its predecessors, Funny Story is unable to escape the trappings of familiarity and predictability. Craig forges unlikely bonds with his fellow patients and they all learn valuable life lessons from each other.

Fleck and Boden further hamper the formulaic story with a series of voiceovers and fantasy sequences. On occasion, the action freezes so Craig can narrate his thoughts and feelings. He not only breaks the fourth wall, but breaks a primary screenwriting rule of show, not tell.

Rating: **

Dinner For Schmucks

Dinner For Schmucks - Dir. Jay Roach (2010)


Dinner For Schmucks is a remake of a 1998 French film entitled, Le Dinner de Cons (The Dinner Game), from writer/director Francis Veber who also penned the script for La Cage aux Folles. The latter picture was also remade with Robin Williams and Gene Hackman as The Birdcage.

Jay Roach, who also directed the Austin Powers and Meet the Parents films, brings decidedly American sensibilities to this comedy of class wars.

Tim Conrad (Paul Rudd) is a mid-level executive at investment firm Fender Financial. He wows his boss Lance Fender (Bruce Greenwood) by facilitating a multi-million dollar deal with wealthy Swiss business Martin Mueller (David Walliams). Tim is in line for a promotion, but only after he attends a dinner party with the company heads in which they invite idiots to make fun of them. Tim is appalled at first until he literally runs into life-long goofus, Barry Speck (Steve Carell). A desk drone at the IRS, Barry collects dead mice to use in intricate dioramas, recreating classic works of art like “The Last Supper” and Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.”

Barry arrives at Tim’s apartment a day early and in a matter of hours has turned his life upside-down. Barry single-handedly manages to injure Tim’s back, wreck the place, sabotage his relationship with girlfriend Julie (Stephanie Szostak), and invites in Tim’s mentally unstable ex Darla (Lucy Punch).

This is the third pairing for Rudd and Carell following Anchorman and The 40-Year Old Virgin. Rudd’s deadpan delivery plays well against Carell’s manic and obliviously moronic Barry who is like Michael Scott with the volume turned up to eleven. However, the character feels labored with the movie trying way too hard to wring comedy out of something so thin. Rudd is still likeable enough that you don’t feel he truly deserves to be in the eye of Hurricane Barry. The movie only truly picks up when we finally get to the dinner where we meet idiots like a blind fencing champion, a man with epic facial hair, and a ventriloquist married to his dummy, all of whom lead a revolt against their bourgeois tormentors.

Dinner For Schmucks winds up being an uneven comedy when it should have been a riotous farce. The film manages to be saved by two incredibly funny performances from Zach Galifianakis as a self-professed psychic and Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement as a pretentious artist fond of dressing up as a satyr.

Rating: **

Up in the Air

Up in the Air - Dir. Jason Reitman (2009)


”To know me is to fly with me.”

Up in the Air finds itself soaring onto numerous year-end lists as one of the best films of 2009. Does the film deserve to maintain such high altitude? Will I stop using these lame airline puns? The answer to both is yes.

Based on the best-selling novel by Walter Kim, Jason Reitman and co-writer Sheldon Turner have transformed Kim’s skewed take on the corporate world into a low-key dramedy firmly entrenched in today’s economic climate. George Clooney is Ryan Bingham who fires people for a living. Contracted by a company based in Omaha, Bingham flies around the country firing employees when their boss is too chickenshit to it themselves. He never says the word, “fired,” though. Not even, “released,” “terminated,” or “let go.” He simply tells them their “position is no longer available.” As a part-time motivational speaker, Bingham feels he’s helping these people start a new page in their lives.

As for Bingham’s own life, he has no attachments. He rents a sparse, one bedroom apartment which he almost never occupies. He has two sisters that he hardly ever sees. No, his entire life is lived in VIP airport lounges, business class flights, and hotel suites. While in mid-flight, a stewardess asks him, ”Where do you live?”. Bingham answers simply, ”Here.” His main goal is to become one of only seven human beings on the planet to earn 10 million frequent flyer miles. On his travels, he meets Alex (Vera Farmiga) who shares his affinity for elite status. The pair bond over how sexy they find each others’ membership cards. Neither views their relationship as anything substantial, simply an escape.

Bingham’s blissful status quo is disrupted with the arrival of young upstart Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) who plans on making the impersonal even more impersonal. Natalie intends to implement teleconferencing technology in the termination process. Now, you can hire someone to fire your employees through a TV. Bingham is eventually coerced into taking Natalie on the road with him to see how everything is done. Natalie is given a new perspective once it’s given a human face while flabbergasted at Bingham’s cavalier attitude towards personal relationships.

As a modern day Cary Grant, Clooney excels at playing the charming cad with a gift for gab. That talent is display here in a muted fashion mixed with the same world weariness of Michael Clayton. Clooney’s performance truly draws you into the journey of the character, a journey that doesn’t end as you’d expect. Reitman wisely chooses to avoid the easy way out by avoiding a pat, sentimental ending. Instead, the third act climax takes a decidedly left turn, ending the film in an ambiguous manner reflecting the uncertainty of today. Reitman adds an extra layer of resonance by casting real people who have lost their jobs as Bingham’s victims.

As a filmmaker, Jason Reitman has already won me over with his first two films, Thank You For Smoking and Juno. However, Up in the Air is his finest film yet and firm evidence of an assured writer/director whose talents have fully matured.

Rating: ****

The Hangover

The Hangover - Dir. Todd Phillips (2009)

The Hangover is crude, low-brow and profane. It’s a film that signifies the continuing collapse of decency in society. And I loved nearly every minute of it. Todd Phillips, the director of Old School, returns to the theme of the man-child giving in to his rampaging id with hilarious results.

Doug (Justin Bartha) is about to get married and heads off to Vegas with his buddies for a one last night of debauchery. Doug’s pals include: Phil (Bradley Cooper), a married man and prep school teacher who obviously longs for his frat boy days; Stu (Ed Helms), a nerdy dentist trapped in an unhealthy a harpy named Melissa (played by Helms’ fellow Daily Show alumnus Rachael Harris); and Alan (Zach Galifianakis), his future brother-in-law. Alan is socially awkward and looking for acceptance within Doug’s circle of close friends. He’s practically a big baby which is never more evident than a scene where Galifianakis stands there in his tightie whities.

The quartet checks into a luxurious suite at Caesar’s Palace (at the cost of an obscene $4200 per night) before having a toast on the hotel’s roof. They wake up the next morning and have no memory of what’s happened since then. Their suite is trashed, Stu is missing a tooth, Doug is gone, and there’s a baby and a tiger. Oh, and they’ve been driving around in a stolen police car. What follows is a bumbling amateur detective story as the protagonists attempt to piece together their missing memories. Some of the highlights include Stu marrying a stripper played by Heather Graham (who never looked more gorgeous) and a memorable run-in with Mike Tyson. If you’ve seen the trailer then you know what I’m talking about.

The trailer got an uproarious reaction from audiences and no doubt spread word like wildfire. The Hangover did nearly $45 million on opening weekend and thus far has made over $200 million worldwide. The trailer was so good, you worry that it gave away all the best parts of the film. Galifianakis takes a taser to the face while Tyson sings along to “In the Air Tonight.” While memorable scenes, The Hangover still brings plenty of funny with outrageous situations. Galifianakis provides some of the film’s best one-liners due to his character’s child-like naiveté. Cooper is perfect in the role of the cocky pretty boy and Helms is excellent as the straight man, playing off wonderfully with his cast mates. Bartha is something of a non-entity since he disappears for much of the film, but it’s no big loss.

The first two-thirds of the film are great along with the photo montage during the end credits. Really, the film only sputters during the final act after most of the events of the last night have been revealed. Another misstep is Ken Jeong in a small role as a mobster who is both stereotypically Asian and stereotypically gay.

It’s hard to believe such an amusing film was written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the team who also wrote the unfunny turds, Four Christmases and The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. The Hangover won’t be to everyone’s taste, but I’ll rank it as one of the funniest movies of the year so far. There’s not much coming in the second half of 2009 that look like it’ll give Hangover a run for its money.

P.S. – If I pay eight bucks for a film, I demand to see both of Heather Graham’s boobs. Not just one.

Rating: *** 1/2