Todd Phillips directed this film. He also directed Old School. Other than having Phillips at the helm, these two comedies both have something else in common. They are not nearly as funny as people want them to be.

Like Old School, this film begins with a promising hook, a mismatched group of men (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha) go to Vegas in place of a regular bachelor party for their friend who is about to tie the knot (Bartha). The men begin the evening, excited and ready for fun. The next time we see them, they are waking up in their expensive suite, partially clothed and the bachelor is missing. The film follows the remaining three as they unravel the wild events of the previous evening.

Like Old School, there is enough for the actors to work with that they can squeeze some good laughs out of the scenes. There is enough humor to make the production better than the average comedy, which really isn't saying too much.

Like Old School the film runs out of fuel after the mid-point and goes off course as it tries to tie all of the character arcs together.

Like Old School, the film should have been much funnier and more clever than it ending up being. A stronger direction would have helped, as well as a tighter script.

Like Old School, the cast will be the big winners. Old School introduced Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell to audiences who may have otherwise not have known them. People knew Ferrell thanks to SNL but his cross-over to film hadn't taken off yet. Wilson and Vaughn were known, but not to wide audiences. This film will probably have a similar effect for Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms, both of whom offer strong performances. Zach Galifianakis also gives a notable comedic performance as Alan, a dumpy, odd man-child. Galigianaialogisiaiskilansig...kis is the most memorable part of this film, other than Mike Tyson singing. It is possible this film will be his introduction to larger roles.

Like Old School, people will claim this film to be far superior than it truly is, which means it will be very successful on DVD. Expect the sequel in a couple more years.

Do I recommend the film? Nope. I'm not about to pretend it is better than it is simply because I wanted to like it. Again, the second half slides off into a muddled collection of scenes. Additionally, the central push of the plot, where is the groom, loses all of its steam. If you liked Old School, you will probably find much here you will enjoy.





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Other Critic’s Reviews:
The Independent Critic
DarkMatters

Labels: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, film, Heather Graham, Jeffrey Tambor, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, Mike Epps, movie review, Zach Galifianakis

It could have been funny but they went for crude instead. Saying filthy things in place of actual punchlines doesn't equate comedy, it just means you're copping out.

Don Ready (Jeremy Piven) and his crew of mercenary used-car salesmen are brought in to help a dealer who is facing being bought out. This is a great concept, but there is absolutely no payoff. There is some sparks at the opening, in particular with Piven's character. Once the plot begins to mix we discover that all of the ingredients are flavorless.

The comedy comes in two fashions here. There are semblances of some good comedy setups but no payoffs or the setups are so stupid they have nowhere to go. An exmple of both of these issues melding into one disjointed bit that comes up multiple times: Craig Robinson plays a d-jay who refuses to conform to his audience's tastes. He grumbles with a psychotic mantra about not being pushed around as be throws out vile rap to a crowd of shoppers. There is nothing that comes from this set up and no reason for it to be introduced in the first place...which essentially sums up the movie.




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Other Critic’s Reviews:
eFilmCritic.com
Sky Movies

Labels: David Koechner, Ed Helms, film, Jeremy Piven, Kathryn Hahn, movie review, Ving Rhames, Will Ferrell

This trailer actually made me laugh. Trailers rarely make me laugh. Ken Jeong's expression during the Pearl Harbor bit kills me.






Screenwriters: Andy Stock and Andy Stempson
Director: Neal Brennan
Actors: Ed Helms (The Hangover), Will Ferrell (Land of the Lost), Jeremy Piven (The Kingdom), Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction) and David Koechner (Get Smart)

Labels: David Koechner, Ed Helms, film, Jeremy Piven, movie trailer, Ving Rhames, Will Ferrell