Cast: Jon heder, Daine Keaton, Jeff Daniels, Anna Faris, Eli Wallach, Sarah Chalke, Dorian Missick, Mary Kay Place, Laura Kighlinger
Directed By: Tim Hamilton
Written By: Hank Nelken
Cinematography By: Jonathan Brown
Editor: Amy E. duddleston
Original Music By: Mark Mothersbaugh
Casting By: Jeanne McCarthy
Art Direction: David Eckert
This film is one of those could have been movies. The film is played with low energy which is nice in a time when most comedies are way over the top but since it is so low energy it doesn't exactly translate any excitement for the audience to watch or find in the story. It's not too long but it more is a movie that brings chuckles more then laughs. I could see this as more of a family film. As most of the jokes that would seem dirty have a clean quality to them.
I can partly identify with parts of this movie as things that have either happened to me or i have experience with. Not as overblown anr comedic though. That is probably what held my interest in this film.
The Plot is that Jon heder's character is 30 and still lives at home with his mother and devotes on her. He has no ral friends except for a few people who also still lie at home with there mother's. he has a job at used bookstore. His mother ends up falling in love with a motivational speaker. Who immediately moves in with the family. Who at first tries to be decent and a friend to jon' character then finds out he is trying to get him out of the house so it becomes a competition between the two to make the mother choose which one she loves more. Along the way jon meets a girl who actually likes him she works in a coffee shop but aspires to be a anti-corporate rock singer. At one point after upsetting his mother he realizes that he must grow up.
Jon heder still plays the same type of character that he always does but at least here he tries to do a small variation on the character by making him dark and angry brooding and anti-social. That is one of the problems with this film is that you are more rooting for jeff daniels character then jon heder's and jon heder is our protagonist how we spend most of the movie with he's supposed to be the one we are sympathetic to our guide into the world of the movie. He's very Unlikable.
Any scene with eli wallach is a joy bringing the laughs. He brings integrity to a movie that at times doesn't deserve it. Diane Keaton looks at least like she is having fun the movie doesn't demand a lot form here she could sleepwalk though this film if she felt like it. Anna faris is cute in her role she is more then capable of bringing laughs while similarly bringing out a real character that you could fall in love with and she is not over the top for once with this subtle performance.
This film could have been better but in a small way I am impressed that it is interested more in making a quaint clean little comedy that doesn't totally disrespect the characters for the purpose of cheap or gross laughs.
I would suggest renting this but only if you couldn't find anything better. then you should give this movie a chance but don't get your hopes up.
GRADE: C
