Movie : Wanderlust, or: How Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston aren't the stars
Link : Wanderlust, or: How Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston aren't the stars
Wanderlust, or: How Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston aren't the stars
Wanderlust (2012)
Directed by David Wain
Directed by David Wain
***SPOILERS***
Name your favorite character from Wanderlust. Go ahead, I’ll give you some time to think about it…got it? OK, now I’m going to bet your answer wasn’t either George (Paul Rudd) or Linda (Jennifer Aniston). And hey, you know what? That’s cool. When the supporting cast of your film is as fun as the supporting characters of The Simpsons or Parks and Recreation, you run with it. Make them bat-shit crazy. Over the top, lunatic, stereotyped buffoons that fuel comedy with every living, breathing moments of their lives. Do you think writer and director David Wain knew he had crafted such a fun cast? You’d think he would…but you wouldn’t know it from watching the film. There are great moments of topical humor and pristine awkwardness scattered throughout Wanderlust, but instead of feeling cohesive and cyclical like Wain’s Role Models, it feels like a rough draft that was shipped off before being finely tuned.
There are many different reasons why Wanderlust fails at being an effective comedy, but they all stem from two people: George and Linda. Wain can write a great scene that’ll make you squirm in your seat, peering at the screen through the slit in between your fingers, but connectivity is not his strong suit. The overall character arcs regarding George and Linda look more like the monthly stock charts, zipping up and down at a convenient moment’s notice. Even in an absurd comedy, it’s not too much to ask for believable, well-rounded characters. With a backdrop of the zany residents from Elysium, it’s almost too easy to present George and Linda as real people with legitimate problems. But much like those radicals, George and Linda alter as the “voice of reason” to accommodate whoever lost their marbles this time. First it’s George who lusts after Elysium, enthusiastically joining Seth for some anger venting, and then before you know it, Linda is tripping on hippie hallucination herbs and desiring the new lifestyle. And George looks upon Linda as though she’s lost her mind, it becomes painfully obvious that these aren’t two characters working through their problems—they’re simply bait to move the story along.
Too bad the story is as limp as Wayne’s ever-present dick. The structure is essentially set up in three parts. The first part merely serves as a gateway for George and Linda to find Elysium. Two things: A) the comedy and story trajectory is too broad to be entertaining or engaging, only leaving us with awkward scenes to agonize over, and B) the film points out right away it has no intention of building Linda and George’s relationship. They each perform their day jobs, which provide a healthy supply of subtle insight into their personalities, but even those glimpses into everyday life are used as story fuel. They come home and reveal their losses, and now the story can continue onto part two.
This is where we find the meat and potatoes, supplying our first real glimpses into Linda and George’s relationship, allowing them to interact with the people of Elysium and create a single identity as a couple. Where Rick (Ken Marino) and Marissa’s (Michaela Watkins) insanity distracts from George and Linda, once again solely serving as radical crystal-ball visions to move the story forward, the Elysium gang manages to perpetrate every nut-job stereotype in the book, yet never detract attention from Linda and George. Seth (Justin Theroux) challenges George to take control of his dire situation. Essentially serving the same role as Rick, but because Seth is much closer to the couple, his role is integrated into their relationship and brings more reason for the audience to care.
But Wain ruins a good thing, abruptly sending Linda into a lovemaking session with Seth. Her sudden transformation into a strict nature-lovin’ vegan is immediately met with a “well, why not?” attitude regarding a polymorous lifestyle, to which George seems…just a little bit too OK with, right? If such a moment strikes you as strange, that’s because we really don’t know enough about George and Linda as a couple to understand the exigency of such a moment. Yes, we can argue the logistics, in that George gave permission. But Linda carrying out the act? The entire outline for the sketch is put in place to provide Rudd some solo acting time, further proving we’re not watching flushed out characters we care about, but instead pawns that help push the movie closer and closer to the blooper reel. This includes the third and final act, which is as brusque with its resolutions as Linda’s sudden lifestyle changes. George and Linda are brought together quickly in a shoddily wrapped gift, relating an on-the-surface view about the necessity of rules and structure that counterbalances both Elysium and Rick’s dismembered home life. The abruptness of their re-joining shows Wanderlust is more concerned with hitting all the major plot points instead of filling the space between them.
You’d almost wish Wain had just gone with a straight up comedy surrounding his most colorful characters, because I enjoyed my time at Elysium (a word that all too conveniently resembles the word “asylum”). If Wain understands anything, it’s how to pen an awkward-as-fuck moment. Even if the comedy feels forceful regarding the characters’ trajectory, at least it’s crude and willing to make its audience feel uncomfortable. That would explain why the film’s strongest, most diverse and prolific scene occurs during a party, where George integrates between several members of the household, creating a sense of community and identity for Elysium. Let’s face it: there’s no significant social commentary here. Each end of the spectrum is too radical and constricting to be viewed as a legitimate lifestyle. Wain has no intention of exploring either lifestyle to justify his ending, but instead present the radical versions of each. It’s safe play, and it’s fine if you’re willing to go over the top (which he does). But the character growth is interspersed within the comedy, making it much less engaging. At some point, Wain is asking, “Is this funny? Or how about this scene?” instead of asking, “Do you care about this?” Guess what? I never did.
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