Year of Release: 2014
Director: David Wain
Starring: Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Cobie Smulders, Bill Hader, Ellie Kemper, Michael Ian Black, Jason Mantzoukas, Christopher Meloni, Melanie Lynskey, Teyonah Parris, Ed Helms, Ken Marino, Jack McBrayer, Kenan Thompson, Michaela Watkins, Randall Park, Noureen DeWulf, Lynn Cohen, Michael Murphy, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Michael Shannon
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis and Review
The creative team of David Wain/Michael Showalter/Ken Marino/Paul Rudd, reunited with "They Came Together" shortly after the release of "Wanderlust", which was a middle of the road endeavor for all parties involved. "They Came Together" is a satire/spoof on all the tropes of romantic comedies, recycling elements from all sorts of films in particular the Nora Ephron ones such as "You've Got Mail" and even "Sleepless in Seattle". The narrative focuses on the couple comprised of Joel and Molly, who are having a casual dinner with their friends Kyle and Karen. During dinner they start reminiscing about how they got together and how their path to happiness came about. Molly originally owned an independent candy store that was slowly being pushed out of business by a bigger one, who was Joel's employer. Molly had gone through a divorce, while Joel had a girlfriend who was cheating on him with a rival coworker. They end up being set up by friends unknowingly, and although they initially dislike each other, they eventually warm up to each other and start bonding over mutual likes. They experience some additional fumbles, but seem to resume their relationship, meeting Molly's parents in the meantime. While that event initially takes place without much controversy, Joel is later horrified to notice Molly's parents are white supremacists. They once again argue, and break up, resulting in them falling into other relationships. Joel goes back to his cheating ex, while Molly starts something with a banker who simply tries too hard. Molly gets proposed by her new partner, but Joel can't stop thinking of her.
Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler have a long standing career of collaborating with David Wain. They worked together on "Wet Hot American Summer" which came out in 2001, and since then Paul Rudd in particular has been in "The Ten", "Role Models", "Wanderlust", and "They Came Together". There's a level of comfortability between all involved in the film, since they've all been collaborating with each other for quite some time, a troupe of sorts, similar to what Christopher Guest has done with his series of mockumentaries and his collaborators (Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Michael McKean, Parker Posey, Jennifer Coolidge, Bob Balaban, Jane Lynch, to name but a few). Paul Rudd of course is part of David Wain's troupe but also of Judd Apatow's troupe ("40 Year Old Virgin", "Knocked Up", "This is 40"). While this camaraderie is wonderful and generates an easy rapport between the characters on screen, "They Came Together" while funny in many parts, it also never truly seems to land or generate that riotous moment. Part of the challenge of this satire, is that unlike what ZAZ did with "Airplane" and "The Naked Gun", the tone on "They Came Together" is self-aware of the elements of the romantic comedy they're mocking/spoofing. What was always so brilliant about ZAZ was how over the top their films were, and how deeply committed to that satire they actually were. "They Came Together" touches on so many funny bits and clichés of the romantic comedy genre, but is somewhat tame and perhaps just too tasteful to really shred it to pieces, something that "Airplane" for instance never feared (the more serious or referential something seems to be, the easier in principle it should be to tear it down). As it stands, the film is a good showcase for the talents of Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, and all the supporting cast that is comprised of a plethora of very talented comedians. The production team is competent but not particularly memorable, which in the end is how this film can be summed up: it's funny, but not particularly memorable.
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