Wanderlust, from director David Wain (The State, Wet Hot American Summer) and co-writer Ken Marino, outlines and explores a premise that will probably resonate with many people: a young couple, navigating the grind of city life but trapped by their own fears and inadequacies, is forced to leave the city and take refuge with family by dual economic misfortunes.
Well, that part of the premise might resonate. The next bit is perhaps less familiar: the couple’s final destination ends up being Elysium, a commune-like community where their frigid inability to relax is cracked and thawed by an ultra-crunchy lifestyle. (Admittedly, the attentions of a couple of sexually aggressive residents doesn’t hurt.)
For the most part, Wanderlust isn’t a deep character study or a particularly perceptive dissection of human nature. (For something closer to that, see Lukas Moodysson’s Together, which was likely an inspiration for Wain.) This is more like seeing the funhouse mirror caricatures of Wet Hot American Summer grown to adulthood. This film doesn’t quite celebrate the same sense of absurdity, and doing so — living up to one of the film’s own arguments, you could say — might make it more of a keeper. Yet Wanderlust is possessed of a strong enough free spirit that you might want to join its (almost) free-love drum circle just the same. Read More »
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I like David Wain‘s work a lot. The State was just wonderful; Wet Hot American Summer is an oddball classic; and even something more routine, like The Ten and Role Models, can be a decent bit of entertainment. Wain’s new movie, while we wait for the rumors about a WHAS sequel/prequel to come true, is Wanderlust. The movie features Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston as a couple that escapes NYC and ends up in a sort of hippie commune en route to Atlanta.
We’ve seen an all-audiences trailer, but with the movie set to hit theaters in just over a week, Universal has released a red-band trailer. As you might expect, it is speckled with bad language and a lot of not at all subtle sexual humor. Check it out below, and predict where Wanderlust might rank on Wain’s career-best list. Read More »
The great, wacky 2001 comedy Wet Hot American Summer didn’t do any respectable box office business, but the deep goofiness of the film has generated a fervent cult following in the decade since its original release. It doesn’t hurt that the film featured a treasure trove of comic talent, some in the early stages of their careers: Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, Zak Orth, A.D. Miles, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Molly Shannon, Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio, Amy Poehler, Elizabeth Banks and Bradley Cooper.
The film suggested the possibility of a sequel, and the sequel is a frequent object of inquiry when director David Wain or one of the primary cast members does an interview, even a decade later. In the last couple years, Wain has said that a sequel or prequel isn’t out of the question, despite the fact that Universal doesn’t seem to believe in the project, and several of the original cast members have a much higher quote now than they did a decade ago.
But there may be reason to rejoice, fans of WHAS: Michael Showalter now says that a sequel is “absolutely happening”! Read More »
Posted on Monday, January 16th, 2012 by Angie Han
As we head toward the Oscars and therefore the end of awards season, it’s time to take a better look at some of the films we’re anticipating from 2012. We have for you today an eclectic mix of photos from some of the entertainments we’re most looking forward to, from Gary Ross‘ deadly serious YA adaptation The Hunger Games to Judd Apatow‘s almost-middle-age comedy This is Forty and everything in between. Check out photos for those films plus The Gangster Squad, Men in Black III, and Frankenweenie after the jump.
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Posted on Wednesday, January 11th, 2012 by Angie Han
Though everyone knows Marilyn Monroe is Lindsay Lohan‘s deceased classic Hollywood legend of choice, it may be Elizabeth Taylor she’ll be playing next. Lohan has entered early talks to star in the Lifetime original movie Elizabeth & Richard: A Love Story, about the tempestuous, Vatican-condemned romance between Taylor and actor Richard Burton. Oh boy.
I can’t do better than this old quote from Slate (via Deadline) about the things the two had in common, so I won’t try: “Both had domineering stage mothers, little semblance of a real childhood, fame from a young age, substance abuse issues, public emotional outpourings, and copious amounts of tabloid drama. The key difference, though, is that Elizabeth Taylor had a true record of achievement before she became the most notorious movie star in America.”
Even with those similarities, it’s tough to see how casting the troubled, famously unreliable Lohan could possibly seem like a good idea. Then again, this project is drawing headlines (like this one) just for flirting with the idea of casting Lohan, so I suppose it’s worked out pretty well for them already.
After the jump, a Bond girl gets kidnapped, and Amy Poehler finds a nemesis in one of her Wet Hot American Summer co-stars.
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Posted on Wednesday, January 4th, 2012 by Angie Han
Whether or not Kristen Wiig decides to do Bridesmaids 2, what’s obvious is that she’s not wanting for work. The actress-writer-producer is already involved with several intriguing projects, and she may soon be attached to one more.
Wiig, along with Owen Wilson and Christopher Walken, are circling roles in Errol Morris‘ Freezing People is Easy, based on Robert F. Nelson‘s memoir We Froze the First Man and a This American Life segment titled “You’re as Cold as Ice.” Paul Rudd has been set for the lead role of Nelson since last year. More details after the jump.
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The answer is “yes,” Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston have been in a movie together before. It’s called The Object of My Affection, which was released in 1998. The reason you kind of remembered it existed is that it’s forgettable.
Wanderlust doesn’t look forgettable at all. This film is directed by David Wain (Role Models, Wet Hot American Summer) and features the actors on a life affirming journey out of New York City eventually ending up at a very laid back commune filled with colorful characters played by Malin Akerman, Justin Theroux, Joe Lo Truglio and Alan Alda.
Does it sound cheesy? The answer, again, is “yes.” But this first trailer really makes the film look like it’ll rise above that. Check it out after the jump. Read More »
When Judd Apatow announced his upcoming film, once tentatively titled This is Forty, we immediately wondered about the cast. That’s not just a result of Apatow’s fondness for a stable of comic actors that goes back to the Freaks & Geeks days, but a natural question given that the film is a spin-off from Apatow’s previous movie Knocked Up.
The story centers around Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann‘s characters from Knocked Up, so one obvious question concerned the participation of Seth Rogen. Would he show up? Now the actor says no. As a consolation prize, he announces that he and Evan Goldberg (left, above) will shoot Jay and Seth Vs the Apocalypse, a film they’ve talked about for a couple years, next February. Read More »
