Movie Review: SEX TAPE

SEX TAPE
Director: Jake Kasdan
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Rob Corddry, Ellie Kemper, Rob Lowe

We’re on the second of three Cameron Diaz movies slated for release this year following The Other Woman and the Annie remake which is set for a Christmas release. I am predicting right here and now that this will be the best one of the three. What does that say about her choice in film roles? For Annie (Diaz) and Jay (Segel), the peak of their sexual adventures occurred early on in their relationship. They were not afraid to have sex whenever and wherever they wanted. They had a few solid years of pretty hot and heavy action until she got pregnant. After having two kids, they fell into that trap like many parents where their sex drive became non-existent. Sure they think about it, but at the end of the day they are just too tired and exhausted. She’s a mommy blogger with a bit of an edge who has an opportunity to sell it to a larger website and make a load of money on it. He works at a radio station and takes his job of finding new music and creating playlists very seriously.

With Annie’s potential job offer, they decide to send the kids over to grandma’s house in order to have a wild night all to themselves. They come up with the grand idea to make a sex tape as a way of spicing things up. The next morning Annie demands that Jay delete the evidence of their three hour romp. We all know that doesn’t happen because we wouldn’t have the rest of the movie if he actually listened to his wife. Jay learns his lesson the hard way after receiving some anonymous text messages regarding the footage. He realizes the video was saved to the Apple cloud and accidentally synched to various iPads he has given out as gifts to friends and family. They team up with their friends Robby (Corddry) and Tess (Kemper) to track down those tablets and delete the video before the wrong eyes see it.

Sex Tape is a reunion for director Jake Kasdan, Cameron Diaz, and Jason Segel. You may remember they worked on 2011’s Bad Teacher, another rom com with a super creative title. Diaz and Segel have made multitudes of these kinds of movies, so you already know what you’re getting yourself into with this one. Even though Diaz has tried other material that is edgier and harder, this is her niche as these are the types of movies she does best. She gets to be wacky and kooky and be the comedic actress we as an audience have come to embrace. Sidekicks Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine, The Way Way Back) and Ellie Kemper (Bridesmaids, The Office) have some of the best scene stealing moments. Leave it to both of them to amp up the humor in some of the more uncomfortable moments and make them hysterical. Rob Lowe plays a potential business backer for Diaz’s character. He starts off very much like his character on Parks and Recreation, but there are a few surprises in store for him. I feel he is the result of some stunt casting due to the fact that he actually made a sex tape that leaked in the ‘80s. If that’s the case, why didn’t they also get the likes of Pamela Anderson, Kim Kardashian, or Paris Hilton? There’s no way a Kardashian would have turned down a chance to make money and be in the spotlight.

This is a short light fluffy 90 minute comedy, which is a bit of a rarity these days in this genre especially when you think of how long Jason Segel movies tend to be. The script was penned by Kate Angelo (The Back-Up Plan), but with Segel and Nicholas Stoller (The Five-Year Engagement) given co-writing credits. I think it’s safe to assume they did some heavy rewrites on the original draft. For a movie about a sex tape, I was surprised by how tame it was in its approach. Maybe I am just getting a bit desensitized in this day and age, but I feel like it really could have pushed the boundaries when it comes to the raunchy factor. Yes, we see the bare butts of Diaz and Segel and there is some talk about the various positions found in “The Joy of Sex”, but if you compare it to other comedies like this, it feels quite innocent. Maybe some moviegoers will appreciate the toned down approach knowing they chose not to go to the extremes, but I feel like it is actually warranted with this plot.

At the end of the day, Sex Tape achieves what it sets out to do. There are a decent amount of laughs to stay entertained and take your mind of a really crappy day at work. It’s a mindless light romp with a simple plot as it takes a look at what happens to some couples after many years of marriage and kids. Sometimes you just need to add a little spark back into the relationship, but it doesn’t always go to plan. I think there is something relatable there that I’m sure many moviegoers could attest to in some way or another.

Is It Worth Your Trip to the Movies? While it won't be winning any awards anytime soon, it's better than some of the other comedies released this summer.

RATING: 3 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

Movie Review: NEIGHBORS

NEIGHBORS
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron, Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jerrod Carmichael, Lisa Kudrow

Let me get this straight. Seth Rogen plays a pot smoking guy looking to reclaim his youth. Zac Efron plays a ridiculously chiseled college guy. These are some bold casting choices. Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Byrne) Radner have moved into a warm neighborhood with their new baby girl and are looking forward to the next stage of their lives. They see a young gay couple moving in down the block and think they have really found the right neighborhood for them. That joyous feeling comes to an abrupt end when they see a fraternity move in right next door. They attempt to get on the boys’ good side by introducing themselves as the cool neighbors and offering frat president Teddy (Efron) and vice president Pete (France) some pot in an exchange for them to “keep it down” once in a while. Mac and Kelly attend the boys’ first party where Mac partakes in all of the debauchery. A promise is made between both parties that if it’s ever too noisy that the Radner’s will call Teddy first before calling the cops.

With each passing night, the parties are getting bigger and the noise is getting out of control. They try to call Teddy to “keep it down”, but no one seems to be answering over at the frat house. What a surprise. The Radners have no choice but to break their promise and make an anonymous phone call to the cops for a noise complaint. It should come as no surprise that the cops rat them out to Teddy and Pete. The breaking of the promise leads to an all-out war between the Radners and the boys at Delta Psi Beta. Outrageous pranks ensue as the Radners hope to get the boys kicked out of the house, while the boys remind them who rules the neighborhood.

If you are looking for a clean wholesome comedy, Neighbors is not for you. When a movie stars Seth Rogen and frat boys are involved, it should be expected that the humor is raunchy, gross, vulgar, and crude. There will be copious amounts of sex, nudity, drinking, and drugs. Director Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Five-Year Engagement) and screenwriters Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O’Brien know what kind of movie they are making and push the boundaries of comedy and decency to the extreme. There are shocking moments and gags where you wonder if they have gone too far. If you are sensitive to this type of crass humor, you will definitely feel like they have crossed the limits. There is a very loose feeling at times to its structure, and it’s very evident that there was a lot of improvisation happening as the camera was rolling. Zac Efron (That Awkward Moment) and Dave Franco (21 Jump Street) have mentioned in interviews that improv was encouraged and that five writers were always watching the monitors giving new jokes and lines with each take. Some scenes and transitions feel a bit choppy. I give Stoller credit for showing some restraint when it came to the execution of the jokes and gags. These types of dumb comedies can tire quickly if the pace isn’t kept up and if the gags are played to death.  I have seen far too many comedies lately, ahem Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, where the jokes go on for too long and the movie is thirty minutes longer than it needs to because they are too impressed with their writing and don’t know how to edit. Stoller keeps the run time in check as the movie is only 96 minutes long. I would have grown tired if it was any longer than that. You may even notice that some of the scenes shown in the trailer didn’t make the final cut. I would bet that if the movie is a huge success we may see an “unrated” release at some point and a DVD/ Blu-ray full of deleted scenes.

Seth Rogen is playing the same type of character you have come to expect from him. I think it is rare if you don't see him playing someone that gets chemically altered at some point in the movie. He has had many on screen relationships from Katherine Heigl, Michelle Williams, and now Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids, Insidious). While it seems like an odd pairing on the outside, they have really great chemistry together. I always think of her being so prim and proper, but she gets to let loose and dive into the pranks. Her character even mentions that she doesn’t want to be that responsible and nagging wife like you would see in a Kevin James movie. She also gets to keep her Australian accent. I do wonder if they wrote that into the script before or after she got cast.

Say what you will about whatever pre-conceived notions you have about Zac Efron, but he is one of the highlights of the movie. No, it is not because of how good looking and ripped he is throughout it. As Rogen’s character states, “It looks like something a gay guy designed in a laboratory”. I think this type of comedy may be new for him, but it’s one of the few roles he has taken in his post-High School Musical career that completely fits him as an actor. While I applaud him for taking risks in past career choices, he has taken some roles that were a bit of a stretch for his type. Another highlight of the film belongs to Lisa Kudrow in a two scene cameo as the school’s dean. I would assume Stoller let her improv her way through a majority of her stuff as it’s very much a Kudrow creation.

I have seen quite a few frat themed movies like Old School and Van Wilder. None of them can hold a candle to the quintessential frat movie that is National Lampoon’s Animal House, which is one of my favorite comedies of all time. I was pleasantly surprised that there is more to Neighbors that just a bunch of young men partying and causing a ruckus for 96 minutes. There is the underlining idea that you can’t partake in wild shenanigans every night for the rest of your life. You eventually have to grow up, get a job, and deal with adulthood. There are so many joys that come with being married and having a new baby that far outweigh the ridiculous and wild nights that just turn into a hangover the next morning.  Our central characters go through this life change as Byrne and Rogen try to hold onto their youth a bit longer, while Efron and Franco’s characters must succumb to the fact that they will be graduating and have to find a job.    Neighbors will definitely attract those college aged moviegoers that are still going to frat parties on the weekend. I think it will also appeal to others, like me, who are on the Rogen/Byrne end of the spectrum. My college years are long gone, but the movie was a good trip down memory lane.

Is it worth your trip to the movies? Sometimes after a long week at work, this is the kind of silly comedy I am in the mood for. I wanted to laugh and forget about the week. Mission accomplished.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 Ticket Stubs

Movie Review: THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT

THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Alison Brie, Chris Pratt

Tom (Segel) and Violet (Blunt) meet at a costumed New Year's Eve party. She was dressed as Princess Diana while he went in a full body bunny costume called "Super Bunny". A year later Tom proposes to Violet on the roof of the restaurant where he works as a sous chef. Everything seems fine and dandy as they start planning their wedding. Tom's best friend Alex (Pratt) ends up sleeping with Violet's sister Susie (Brie) at their engagement party. Don't worry, they keep the baby and get married. Alex gets his act together and becomes a committed dad and husband. Tom is having steady career working as a in a San Francisco clam bar, while Violet can't seem to get a job. One day a thick envelope comes in a mail with a job opportunity for Violet. It's a two year contract with the University of Michigan in their psychology department. This opportunity is too good for her to pass up. Tom and Violet decide to put their wedding planning on hold in order to move to Michigan. Just when Tom tells his boss he is leaving, he is told he was about to be a head chef in a new restaurant she was going to open.

Violet's job could not not be going any better. Her thesis using stale donuts is a hit with the head professor (Ryhs Ifans) and fellow teammates (Kevin Hart, Mindy Kaling, and Randall Park). Tom doesn't seem to have the same luck. He can't find a job at a fine dining restaurant that fits his skills or monetary needs. In a desperate move, he takes a job at a hit sandwich shop. Fast forward two years, Violet is offered another contract. The contract is for three years this time. A big fight ensues as this was not in the plans. Tom has become extremely unhappy in Michigan. He is going nowhere with his career and has become one with nature. He took an interest in hunting and has let his physical looks go by growing some awful facial hair. Tom and Violet turn to Alex and Susie for relationship help as their engagement is not going in the direction they once thought it was headed in.

This is the third collaboration by Stoller and Segel who previously wrote Forgetting Sarah Marshall and The Muppets. The script is very polarizing for me. There were times where I was applauding it and other times where I was frustrated. The dialogue seemed very natural and realistic at times. It made me wonder if they were improving or if it was just written very easy and naturalistic. The relationship between Tom and Violet had lots of ups and downs. I really appreciated that in a romantic comedy that the main couple wasn't all cheerful and hunky dory the whole movie. I got frustrated during their down moments, which made me realize I was caring about them more than I expected I would. When the time frame of the movie spans five years, the audience doesn't want to feel like they are in the movie for five years. Many events and circumstances in their relationship gets covered which leads to a very long movie. The screenplay could easily have been cut down with the same feeling of the passage of time. The whole sub-plot of Tom becoming a Grizzly Adams is easily forgettable and not necessary. There are side characters that are unnecessary as well. Segel and Blunt have previously co-starred together in two movies. Their real life friendship effortlessly comes across on screen. They have great chemistry together which makes this relationship and storyline more relatable than other pairs in your standard rom-com. Alison Brie and Chris Pratt steal the movie as Tom’s dopey friend and Violet’s sister. They seem to be the most realistic and fleshed out characters. The Five-Year Engagement is charming and funny filled with two couples that I seemed to really care about. The big problem with the movie lies in the screenplay. It feels like a first draft that forgot to go through the editing phase.

RATING: *** 1/2 (3.5 out of 5 stars)