Wanderlust

Wanderlust is one of those films that feel like the pilot episode of a TV Series. Director David Wain has a heavy history of small screen productions so perhaps you can understand why this has little cinematic feel to it. The storyline is an old staple where city folk end up in a rural environment (or vice versa) and have to adapt to a different way of living with, we hope, plenty of laughs along the way. In this case we have George (Paul Rudd) and Linda (Jennifer Aniston), a married couple from New York, who find themselves out of work and end up moving to Georgia. A chance accident leads them to staying in a hippie commune and the fun and games begin. None of the actors have to get out of first gear here, which is a bit of a shame as Aniston showed us some decent acting chops in the recent Just Go With It and Horrible Bosses. In terms of the people in the commune Justin Theroux is the stand out as the laid back (but slimy) Seth and the scene where he serenades Linda in front of a group of people is one of the better moments of the scenes set in the commune. On that note it’s actually the opening third of the film, before George and Linda get to Georgia, that provide the sharpest laughs, including some amusing dialogue with an estate agent (and a visual gag concerning the size of their new “home”) and the appearance of George’s brash brother (played by Ken Marino, who also co-scripts). The film stutters in the middle section though as Wain appears lost as to what he’s trying to say. He avoids pushing the points about lifestyle too hard so to avoid appearing preachy, but he doesn’t seem to make the actual situation of people becoming homeless / jobless all that important. Basically whatever happens in the film, whether good or bad, no one seems all that stressed out. I guess the relaxing atmosphere is partly down to the familiarity between cast and crew. Rudd and Aniston were in Friends together, Aniston is also currently stepping out with Theroux and Wain directed Rudd in Role Models. So nothing too taxing here, but there are some decent comic scenes, though a few moments of crudity appear to have been snuck in to appeal to the Apatow crowd.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Fairly innocent stuff, though the gag count could be higher and it’s paper thin plot wise at times. Rating: 6/10.