BEFORE: OK, that's enough about Paul Rudd. Though one of the premium channels is re-running "Wet Hot American Summer" this week, and that's one of those films that if I catch it close to the beginning, I might as well stick around and watch the rest of the film, because whatever I had planned for the afternoon couldn't possibly be better than re-watching such a funny, self-aware film. And this is where I was planning to link to the Bradley Cooper chain, since both Rudd and Cooper appeared in that film before they were super-famous. But then this film came along, so Bradley's got to wait another day. Instead, Paul Rudd links to Jennifer Aniston (last seen in "Just Go With It") through "Wanderlust".
AFTER: It's a little refreshing, after watching a screamy film about a "realistic" family, to follow up with a film about a fake family. And it's an original concept, I'll give it that. Wait, Jennifer Aniston was in that OTHER film about pretending to be a family, so it appears she's cornered the market on that. But that pretense was about Adam Sandler getting with a hot girl, so the goals are different.
Not many complaints tonight, and surprisingly, no Nitpick Points. It's a mostly funny film if you can get past the wild premise. And it doesn't get bogged down in the usual "road trip" clichés and problems. Though I have to wonder how long this film was in production - since it was released in 2013 and both Colorado and Washington state made recreational marijuana use legal in 2012. At some point it would make less sense to drive an RV down to Mexico as it would to drive it to one of those states. Actually, I think the road trip seen here starts in Denver, which doesn't appear to make sense at first, unless you posit that perhaps the drug lord needs a ton of pot in Colorado to take advantage of its new legal status.
You know that some people take their RV culture very seriously when you read the "Goofs" section of this film's IMDB page. People who can identify different models of motor homes on sight have pointed out that the one seen here wouldn't have windows that roll down, or wouldn't make the sound of air brakes when it comes to a stop. Some allowances need to be made for movie-making, and some people need to get out more. Umm, make that less.
I'm also amazed by how often the cast of "The State" keeps popping up. I got to watch them perform in their fledgling appearances, live in the NYU dining hall, and now I wish I'd gotten to know some of them better. It's amazing how ingrained they've become into the fabric of movies & TV. Two of them appear here, the two that will be headlining network sitcoms this fall. But since Thomas Lennon is as well known for his writing as he is for his acting, this gives me hope that I can buckle down and get a movie written.
Also starring Jason Sudeikis (last seen in "The Campaign"), Emma Roberts (last seen in "Celeste & Jesse Forever"), Ed Helms (last heard in "The Lorax"), Will Poulter, Nick Offerman (last seen in "All Good Things"), Kathryn Hahn (last seen in "Revolutionary Road"), Tomer Sisley, Matthew Willig, Molly Quinn, Mark L. Young, with cameos from Luis Guzman (last seen in "The Hard Way"), Thomas Lennon (last seen in "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas"), Ken Marino (last seen in "Wanderlust"), Scott Adsit, Ben Folds.
RATING: 6 out of 10 YouTube videos
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