Click here for my interview with co-writer/co-star Ken Marino
There is a point about midway through “Wanderlust” where Paul Rudd looks in a mirror and describes the one dirty thing he’s going to do to the lovely Malin Akerman and all the dirty ways he’d going to do. It’s a showstopper, one of many memorable and hilarious scenes that populate the film and it was at this point that I decided I was going to buy this movie as soon as it is available on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital download. It is the best compliment I can think to give to a comedy: I want to watch this movie repeatedly, memorize it and quote ad nausea. That’s the sign of a truly great comedy.
wan•der•lust
[won-der-luhst]
noun
a strong, innate desire to rove or travel about.
Meet George (Rudd) and Linda (Jennifer Aniston), a standard New York City couple. The happily married and monogamous pair have recently purchased a very expensive but standard New York City micro-loft (studio apartment) and, upon George losing his high profile job, lose their studio apartment (micro-loft) almost immediately after signing the closing papers. Very topical.
Homeless and depressed, George and Linda head for refuge at George’s brother Rick (Ken Marino) down in Atlanta, Ga. Rick is one of the vilest people ever brought to the screen and to say that the two would be better off seeking shelter in a Turkish prison is an understatement. On the way to “Hot-lanta” they stop off at a bed and breakfast called Elysium which is, in fact, a hippie commune.
E•ly•si•um
[ih-lizh-ee-uhm, ih-lee-zhee-, ih-liz-, ih-lee-zee-, ih-lizh-uhm]
noun
any place or state of perfect happiness; paradise.
George is instantly drawn to the carefree way of living and Linda is instantly drawn to the leader of the ragtag band of pot smokers named Seth (Justin Theroux). Seth is stone-cool with his Jesus hair and unorthodox yoga/scream techniques and you can tell he’s been off the grid for a quite awhile because he still thinks Nintendo Powergloves and floppy disks are modern technology. What George first thinks is a paradise instantly becomes a form of hell as it becomes very hard for him to leave behind the lattes and cell phones.
Another definition of Elysium:
noun
any similarly conceived abode or state of the dead.
Linda loves it though and embraces the culture. Here’s our Conflict. The two must make the hard decision between staying stoned all the time while drinking wine with a naked man or getting back to the “real world”.
Writer/Director David Wain is known for wacked out comedies (“Role Models,” “Wet Hot American Summer”) and with “Wanderlust” he has made his best constructed film to date. He is becoming a master at crafting bizarre films that are ground just enough in reality to be considered mainstream. “Wanderlust” is populated with rich, well-crafted characters whose actions could easily be construed as unbelievable but somehow we can invest in them. Credit the performers. The bits are numerous and rapid-fire and most work. The film was co-produced by American Comedy Guru Judd Apatow and there are plenty of moments that feel obviously improvised, It is inevitable that the Blu-ray will feature several “runs” of deleted hilarity.
Aniston has been making some great choices lately, with this and “Horrible Bosses” last year she is becoming the queen of gross out. Theroux is mind-blowing good as Seth and it is funny to think that he wrote the script for “Iron Man 2”. He is subtle and larger than life simultaneously. Mr. Paul Rudd is making great headway at creating the “Paul Rudd” type and gives us the sarcastic, lovable prepster that he played in “I Love You, Man” and “Role Models”.
It would be a disservice to the film to not mention the performances of Ken Marino as brother Rick and Joe Lo Truglio’s prosthetic penis. Both are unbelievable and make a huge impression.
Two more things: “Wanderlust” is the funniest movie of the year so far. Granted it’s only late February.
And the definition of a Rudd, per Dictionary.com:
rudd
[ruhd]
noun
a European, freshwater fish, Scardinius erythrophthalmus, of the carp family.
Thought I’d share.
