Wanderlust (4/5 Stars)

This can't be the place

“There is a reason that human beings long for a sense of permanence. This longing is not limited to children, for it touches the profoundest aspects of our existence: that life is short, fraught with uncertainty, and sometimes tragic. We know not where we come from, still less where we are going, and to keep from going crazy while we are here, we want to feel that we truly belong to a specific part of the world.”

-       James Howard Kunstler, The Geography of Nowhere

The ending of “Wanderlust” is a cliffhanger, although I suspect most people (and perhaps even the filmmakers) will not realize how. The story itself follows a married couple named George and Linda (Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston) as they search for a home that is “real,” for lack of a better word. They start out in Manhattan, a place that demands endless toil to make barely enough money for a sizable mortgage on a very small studio apartment. When George loses his job during a massive corporate layoff, the city unceremoniously ships them out in favor of richer people.

George and Linda move down to Atlanta to live with Rudd’s boorish brother Rick, played by co-writer Ken Marino. Rick is the CEO of a port-o-potty company and lives in a McMansion out in a suburban nowhere. The house may be huge and filled to the brim with really expensive stuff, but the desperate housewife Marissa, played by Michaela Watkins, soon reveals that she spends most of her day alone and drinking margaritas. She has a theory that if she smiles enough it can brainwash her mind into feeling happy.

George and Linda escape to stumble upon a commune out in the middle of the woods. It is filled with colorful characters that smoke pot, grow organic vegetables, and share everything. At first this lifestyle is infatuating but it soon wears off because of the complete lack of privacy (there are no doors to the bedrooms or bathrooms), the annoying veganism, and the free love atmosphere that basically acts as a masquerade for Seth, the leader of the commune, played here by Justin Theroux, to hit on all the women that move in.

So that place does not really work out either. But the movie does end on a happy note with the characters getting new jobs and moving into a new place with happy music all over the background. The place is bigger and friendlier than the Manhattan studio, not as fake and isolated as the McMansion, and has actual doors. But where is this “real” place? We are never actually told. Is it anywhere in America? Because seriously, I think most of us would like to live there. It does exist somewhere, right?

The ambiguity of the ending of “Wanderlust,” is what stops the movie from achieving great movie status like director David Wain’s last Paul Rudd movie, “Role Models.” The special thing about “Role Models” is that behind all the jokes about the nerdiness and weirdness of the Dungeons and Dragons community known as LAIRE, there was a sincerity that held up the group as very creative and really fun to be in. Taking part in that community redeemed the cynical Paul Rudd character in the end. That cannot be said about the bohemian commune in “Wanderlust,” as they are shown to fall into the same hypocritical and selfish habits of all people no matter how vehemently they claim that it is not allowed there. The ending is a bit of a deux ex machina, a miracle that basically saves everyone from dealing with the main problem of the movie by making them all too rich and successful to care anymore. So this is not as satisfying as “Role Models.” But it is basically just as funny and employs just as large an ensemble of great comedic characters.

You’ve seen these actors before if you saw “Role Models.” Coming back in supporting roles are Kerri Kenney and Jordan Peele as the some of the hippies. The incomparable Joe Lo Truglio once again performs the feat of creating a complete character within thirty seconds of screen time. He is the commune’s nudist/winemaker/novelist. I suspect the reason why I found the ending forgivable is because it is this guy’s miracle. Joe Lo Truglio seems to be the kind of guy who could pull that off.

(It should be noted that creative freedom for full male frontal nudity has finally been achieved in this movie. When I saw this sort of thing in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” it still seemed like they were still trying to hide it by quickly cutting away. In this one, there are no quick cuts, and for some weird reason the fact that the movie does not seem to be afraid to have little Joe Lo Truglio just hanging out there for extended periods of time actually makes the whole thing less distracting.)

Then finally there is Ken Marino who reprises his role as a very funny asshole. He is joined this time by Michaela Watkins, an old (she’s 40) newcomer on the comedy scene. The comedic dynamic that these two create is the sort of thing that makes you wish the movie visited the McMansion more often. Watkins in particular is very very funny. You may remember her brief one year tenure as a featured played on Saturday Night Live, where she was funny in basically every scene she was in and then was inexplicably fired the next summer. I am glad she is now popping up in feature movies, but really, someone who cares about comedy ought to see this movie and start granting her more screen time doing anything in any other movie. She is the real thing and talent is a-being wasted while Eddie Murphy still gets to make a horrible movie every single year.

As far as Paul Rudd is concerned, he continues his now five year string of anchoring at least one good comedy in a year. (Wanderlust, Our Idiot Brother, Dinner for Schmucks, I Love You Man, Role Models.) That’s a good streak and he is a very good leading man for comedies. His humor is nice, subtle, and normal. This enables the plenty of wacky other characters around him to be crazy and all he has to do is twitch his face the correct way to round out the scene.

I still do not know what to make of Jennifer Aniston as a comedian. She has been in some great comedies and done some very good work (Office Space, The Good Girl, and Horrible Bosses), but she has also been in a string of really bad not funny movies. Oftentimes her characters lack the eccentricity needed to be funny and spend most of their time looking out of place while everybody else gets laughs. There is a part in this movie where the movie stops being a story about a couple and starts being a movie about Paul Rudd. Were missing something here. There has got to be a better way to make Aniston interesting besides having her take her top off, especially since it is blurred out anyway. Back to the drawing board on that one. Learn a thing or two from Michaela Watkins and Kristin Wiig on how to make women funny. Here is a link to one of their SNL skits for educational purposes.  http://www.hulu.com/watch/56640/saturday-night-live-today-show

Paul (3/5 Stars)

Paul isn’t a rip-off of every other science fiction movie. Every other science fiction movie is a rip-off of Paul…according to Paul that is.

Well it didn’t take long to find an exception to my “Ripoff/Homage” theory. A full week. “Paul” is an exception to that rule mostly because of the odd way that it uses its references. For example, the Alien in “Paul” has most of the same special abilities of classic movie aliens. He can heal people like E.T. and he can mild-meld like Spock. But this movie isn’t simply taking undue credit for coming up with these abilities like an ordinary rip-off; it goes even further than that. It declares that Paul the Alien is actually the inspiration for E.T. and Spock. There’s even a flashback scene where Paul, in the warehouse from Raiders of the Lost Ark, counsels Steven Spielberg over the phone and gives him the idea for E.T.’s healing power. Such is one of the most interesting conceits of this movie: the Alien didn’t just crash land here yesterday. He came over forty years ago right about before “Star Wars” came out. He’s been kept secret at Area 51, but the government has allowed him to counsel movie producers in an effort to ease the general public to the idea of alien life through cultural osmosis. So Paul may look like an unimaginative stereotypical Alien, the small green type, but that’s only because the government has been secretly brainwashing you the last 40 years that Aliens should look like that so when you finally see one you won’t be so freaked out. So “Paul” relies heavily on its references, but in a way it has too. I’ll get back to this.

“Paul” is directed by Greg Mottola and constitutes the reunification of Team Pegg and Frost, who wrote and star in this movie, their first collaboration since “Hot Fuzz.” Frost is an unpublished science fiction writer. Pegg is his illustrator. They hail from England and are visiting the United States for the first time on their dream trip. First, Comic Con in San Diego followed by a road trip through the American Southwest with stops at all the famous UFO sites (Area 51, Roswell, etc.). Some of this borders on the absurd. One stop is something called “The Black Mailbox.” It looks just like a mailbox in the middle of a barren desert. The only odd thing is that it is covered with fanboy graffiti and is actually white. Pegg and Frost stand across from it, stare at it for a while, and agree that it is awesome. They must know something I don’t know. (Actually I’m assuming that they saw it in a really good movie or something. If so, then I understand the interest. Ever since I saw “Being John Malkovich” I’ve always wanted to visit that one spot on the New Jersey Turnpike and take pictures. I can’t explain it. You would have to see the movie.) Then in the middle of the night, the car in front of them runs off the road and crashes. They stop, get out, and find that the driver is an alien on the LAM who needs their help getting to a rendezvous point. Frost faints and pisses his pants.

The Alien is voiced by Seth Rogen, perhaps the last person you would think an alien would sound like. It’s odd for the first minute or two and then I got to liking it. Paul acts like Seth Rogen. He’s a laid back and comfortable alien, quick to make immature gestures and amusing jokes. Pegg and Frost are endearing good sports that take a liking to the little guy. In fact, everybody here gets along fine. Everything is all like cool and mellow and because Paul has already been on Earth for so long, nothing has to be explained to him. So I wasn’t hearing worn out explanations of stuff like food and love. Instead Paul explains things to Pegg and Frost. (Actually this is stuff I’ve heard before because I’ve seen most of the movies that Paul is taking credit for.) Anyway, the movie settles into a comfortable tone. There are plenty of campfires with beer and brats and just a little bit of weed. It wasn’t all that funny, but then again it was never annoying. I wouldn’t mind having a beer with these guys.

Then the movie makes a strategic mistake. It gets violent in a not funny way. Some serious Men in Black are tailing the trio. The lead guy is Jason Bateman and two ordinary policemen, Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio, help him along. These are all gifted comedians and that’s a problem given what the movie eventually makes them do. It really is imperative that a villain who meets an untimely demise be unlikable. A huge problem here is that Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio spend most of the movie being funny and then right about the third act, they take out their guns and start shooting with intent to kill. When a movie casts likable comedians in violent roles it is a tactical error. Especially in a movie that has as its best quality a laid back comfortable feeling to it. I didn’t want to see anybody here put in mortal danger. Buzzkill, man, Buzzkill. Either they shouldn’t have cast Hader and Truglio at all or they should have reworked the story.

But how would you rework this story and keep the conflict. Here’s a suggestion: find someway to get rid of the guns. Violence is funny up to a certain line, and guns, once they start firing with any realism, cross it very quick. Without guns, violence is physical comedy. For one thing, a person with a gun is stationary, and a person who is shot with a gun stops moving very quickly. This literally kills the kinetic momentum of good physical comedy. For a second thing, a wound from a gun is a serious wound, emphasis on the word “Serious.” Here, they should have ditched the guns and had everyone fight with fake light sabers or something.

There’s an impressive cast in this movie. In supporting roles we have Jane Lynch (used well), David Koechner (used not so well), and Jeffrey Tambor. Most importantly the inimitable Kristen Wiig joins the RV crew along the way. Wiig runs an RV camp and is what you would call a Jesus Freak, a firm believer in Creationism and not in aliens. This leads to arguments between her and Paul. It’s a bit of an unfair debate. Perhaps in somebody’s next movie an arcangel will come down from heaven and explain to some UFO enthusiasts the unlikelihood of a government conspiracy. But anyway, shaken in her belief of God, Heaven, and Hell, Wiig decides to let loose. She spends the second half of the movie cursing like a sailor. In any other actor’s hands this wouldn’t be nearly as funny, but Wiig is a wizard at line delivery. I keep seeing her in small parts in the movies of lesser comedians (Will Forte in Macgruber anyone?). This May we will finally see what she can do with a lead role. That’s when “Bridesmaids” comes out. She writes and stars in it. It’s about time.

Anyway let’s go all the way back to the beginning. This movie relies on plenty of references. Some work much better than others. So let’s put down a few rules that will clarify Ripoff/Homage does and don’ts. First Rule: Jokes cannot be retold. A reference can be used as a joke, but you can’t use a joke from a reference. A bunch of times in this movie, characters will actually quote jokes and catchphrases from other movies. Jason Bateman at one point while talking on a car radio, disagrees with the person on the other side, takes out his gun, shoots the radio, and says “Boring Conversation anyway.” That’s a direct rip-off from “Star Wars.” It was only sort of funny when Han Solo said it. It’s less funny now. Any pleasure I get from that line will come directly from my experience of watching “Star Wars.” It makes no sense to put a line into a movie that will only make the viewer want to watch something else that did it better. Second Rule: References can be used to create a mood or character for a scene but they can’t make the scene. A great use of this in “Paul” was the casting of Sigourney Weaver as the head bad guy. A viewer with knowledge of the Aliens franchise will know that Weaver is the ultimate merciless alien killer. It helps create suspense in the scene just by having Weaver show up. BUT, that doesn’t mean the scene is going to be any good. The maker still has work to do.

The main problem with this movie about fanboys is also the main problem with fanboys in general. They will quote movies without adding anything to the conversation about them (i.e. they keep telling you things you already know.) It may make sense that this movie does that because the characters are fanboys, but that doesn’t make the movie any better. Ask yourself this question as you watch the movie: Would you rather see “Paul” or any of the movies it alludes to like “Star Wars,” “Aliens,” “E.T.,” etc again? “Rango” was an affirmative to that question. I can’t say the same about “Paul.”    

I Love You, Man April 1, 2009 (4/5 Stars)

I love Paul Rudd and I’m beginning to really like Jason Segal too. Those two would be cool to be friends with, I’m sure. I Love You, Man is about a newly-engaged man who finds himself getting ready for a wedding which he doesn’t have a best man for. Thing is, Peter (Paul Rudd) has always been a girlfriend guy; he makes friends with girls easily and has never had any real guy friends. When eavesdropping on ladies-night, he hears his fiancé’s (Rashida Jones) friends talk about how weird that is. Completely embarrassed Peter goes on a mission to make man friends. Cut to a montage of awkward man dates (all of which are funny) till he meets Sidney Fife (Jason Segal) at an open house he is throwing to sell Luc Ferrigno’s (playing himself) mansion. Sidney is a master at reading people. He readily points out to Peter a guy who is trying to hold back a fart. We all look on enraptured by Sidney’s keen observance of the human scene.
This movie is the vein of ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall,’ Jason Segal’s last movie, in that most of the characters are nice people who spend their time on screen being wonderful to each other. If for some reason you don’t find the movie funny (which probably won’t happen) there is no reason to hate it. All the characters are likable (except Jon Favreau’s grumpy guy, but he still is funny, so is still welcome). There is the likable Andy Samburg (SNL) who plays Peter’s gay brother, and thus is perfect for advising him how to take out a guy. There is the likable J.K. Simmons (Spiderman, Juno) who plays Peter’s dad, who talks mostly about how his gay son is his best friend. Rashida Jones plays Peter’s fiancé and she is every bit as sweet as he is. Sidney Fife, although uncouth, is undoubtedly a great friend. Rounding out the cast in small supporting roles is Jane Curtain, the gay dude from Reno 911, and stock Apatow bit player Joe Lo Trugilio (who might just break the record for creating distinct characters with only minutes of screen time in each movie he is in.) The movie ends with a wedding where everyone tells each other that they love each other. It is completely believable. I love these guys too. 
The curious thing about all these bromantic comedies is that they seem to feel the need to be Rated R. It’s probably in order to save face in lieu of their obvious emotional core, that and swearing is funny. But despite the R, there is really nothing here that I would feel weird showing a preteen. There’s absolutely no violence or sex. I’m not sure I care whether people say the F-word any more. 
This movie was written and directed by John Hamburg (previously unknown to me). It must have cost little to nothing. I wonder if that’s Luc Ferrigno’s house in the picture. It does have a huge sculpture of him in it. Either they borrowed it or it’s the most expensive thing in the picture. Some movies you can tell that the author is speaking through the characters (Like say in Woody Allen, Coen Brothers, Mamet, and Shakespeare movies.) Not so in this movie. I have trouble even imagining the words spoken in this movie on a script page. Everything thing just seems so natural and realistic. It sounds even more naturalistic than a Christopher Guest movie (Mighty Wind, Best in Show) and they don’t even have scripts. It really seems like Paul Rudd is just making up the words as he goes. I have trouble believing that someone actually wrote down the words “jobin” or “totos magatos.” If someone actually did, then Paul Rudd is truly a great actor because that guy just makes it seem so easy. The situations in the movie are also dangerously close to real life. Whether its Peter trying to introduce his favorite band, Rush, to his fiancé on crappy laptop speakers, or when he tries to crack mannish jokes that turn out incredibly awkward, or the travails of playing sports with women, or when he asks for his Lost Season 2 DVD’s back because he wants to find out what happens in the hatch. Like I said, I had trouble hearing any voice from the writer because everything seemed so real. I’ve seen a lot of movies. I almost never say that. 
If anything is stopping this movie from being great it is its lack of any real antagonist. Like I said, everyone is basically really nice. It wasn’t like ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ where at least the ex-girlfriend had been a jerk. Here the worst thing done is a toast by Sidney Fife, which concerns a topic I wouldn’t for a million years give away because it happens to be the funniest moment in the movie.

Role Models 11/08/08

Role Models is a successfully funny comedy about two friends, Wheeler (Sean William Scott) and Paul Rudd, who work at a Red Bull-like energy drink company called Minotaur. Their job is to around to high school campuses pitching the green poison with the slogan "Say no to drugs, and Yes! to Minotaur!" (I sure hope this isn't based off of real life.) Paul Rudd hates his job (which he should) and is depressed about his life. Wheeler loves his job, (which he shouldn't) and is way to happy to enjoy prancing around in a Minotaur suit at his age. Rudd, in an act of desperation, proposes to his long time girlfriend. She sensibly dumps him. He goes into a tailspin of anger, disillusionment, and despair. He follows the great movie tradition of doing it in front of a large group of impressionable children. A couple of my favorites variations on that theme are Billy Crystal's monologue in 'City Slickers' and Billy Bob Thornton drunken fight with a fake reindeer in 'Bad Santa'. Long story short the duo finds themselves faced with a month of jail time or 150 hours of community service. They choose the lesser of two evils and get involved in a big brother organization named 'Sturdy Wings.' Paul Rudd is assigned a super nerd named Augie, played by Christopher Minz-Plasse ('McLovin' of Superbad fame) who spends his days in a fantasy role-playing game named LAIRE. Wheeler is assigned to Bobby, a fatherless child of 10 with an aggressive mouth and wild demeanor. The two match-ups provide good arcs for both characters. Rudd in an attempt to guide Augie into manhood becomes more of a kid. Wheeler in an attempt to tame Bobby grows up. This is all accomplished in good fun, clever dialogue, and a few outrageous scenes. Providing solid supporting work as a the leader of 'Sturdy Wings' is a reformed coke whore played by the beloved Jane Lynch. It really is one of those roles that only she can pull off. (Well maybe Whoopi Goldberg) She repeatedly mentions her very sordid past and yet still has a commanding sense of moral authority. At the same time she is consistently funny. I wouldn't be surprised if Lynch had completely improvised three quarters of her lines. 
Wheeler's storyline is good, but the real meat of the movie lies in Paul Rudd's relationship with Augie. The context for this storyline is much more intricate. We spend a great deal of time in the world of LAIRE, a game that although being super nerdy really grows on you after awhile. In time Rudd, like us, learns to understand that it really isn't all that bad. The people Augie hangs out with are somewhat deluded yes but they aren't creepy. Joe Lo Truglio (long a staple cameo in Apatow films like 'Pineapple Express,' and 'Superbad,') gets his first substantial supporting role as Fuzzik, a man who is so into LAIRE that he never ceases to talk in loud oratory Medieval speak. I can only imagine how fun it was on the set when he pontificated all his scenes. Everyone in LAIRE is participating in a mass hysteria and it is done with such joy of performance that the entire idea of dressing up like knights to fake battle in the local park is forgivable. Paul Rudd (and us) slowly come around to this and little by little he drop his shell of cynicism. 
Then come a couple of scenes that make this good comedy, somewhat great. Augie, not surprisingly, is ridiculed and made fun of. The most painful scene involves his well-meaning parents that constantly berate him about LAIRE. This is where Paul Rudd's performance really transcends the genre. It's the sort of scene that should get him a Golden Globe nomination. Rudd defends Augie by going so far as to tell his parents that they are wrong about their own son. What does he say to Augie: "Do what makes you happy." and to his parents: "I would be psyched if he was my kid." Christopher Minze-Plasse's reaction to all of this is perfect. It hits just the correct note and is very close to real life. 
The last part of the movie takes place in a grand make believe battle royale in LAIRE land. The swordplay was choreographed by the guy who did the fight scenes in 'Bourne Ultimatum.' The last battle is between Augie and the king of the battlefield (you might remember him as the doctor from 'Knocked Up') who had picked on him earlier. It is an incredibly entertaining, suspenseful, and satisfying ending to the story.
Like all good comedies, 'Role Models' gives us good reasons to care about the characters. And like all great comedies the makers spend this emotional capital to bring us down only to shoot us even higher. This is what I call a comedy's daredevil jump. The deeper emotionally the story gets the bigger the jump. The story's payoff is the landing. The longer the jump the more spectacular the landing or crash. The greatest jump I've ever seen landed was in 'Little Miss Sunshine.' Other notables that I can think of right now are 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' 'There's Something about Mary' 'Hamlet 2' and 'American Pie.' Good comedies take jumps. Great comedies land them. This one does both.

The Pineapple Express 08/07/08

'Pineapple Express' is the latest comedy hit from producer Judd Apatow. It was cowritten by the authors of 'Superbad' Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg. It reunites the two stars Seth Rogan and James Franco from their humble beginnings as freaks in the late nineties one season TV show 'Freaks and Geeks.' Filling supporting roles are Apatow regulars like Bill Hader, Kevin Corridan, and Craig Robinson. New faces include Gary Cole and Rosie Perez as bad guys and Danny McBride as a fellow drug dealer. Seth Rogan is a process server who frequents his dope dealer Franco. Seth witnesses a murder that implicates himself and Franco. They are chased by hitmen, A drug war erupts, and Hilarity ensues. The one thing that really struck me about this film is how different it is from its other Apatow predecessors. Most of those were heartfelt romantic comedies laced with obscenity. This one is much more action oriented. There are plenty of shootouts, lots of people die, huge explosions, there is even a car chase. Combine all the violence of Apatow's previous films and they won't equal a quarter of what you will find here in 'Pineapple Express.' It's a distinctive new turn for the Apatow group. It makes you wonder what else they can do. 
There is still heartfelt core here though, a must in every Apatow film. It basically revolves around the fact that Rogan feels uncomfortable with being friends with his drug dealer. Franco on the other hand is blatantly needy. I wouldn't blame him. His days consist of hanging in his apartment, smoking dope, and waiting for customers to show up. When Rogan shows up, completely stoned, raving about a murder, and orders an escape into the woods its probably Franco's first time out of the house in weeks. James Franco's performance here is something special. Franco, who has always played straight romantic leads, is perhaps the funniest guy in the movie. His comedic timing is perfect. His stoner accent is right on. He has the ability to mine great lines for laughs that only a few comedians can. It is the best comedic performance I have seen all year. Seth Rogan is perhaps a better writer than actor (which isn't really an insult), he's got a certain Adam Sandlerness to him, where it seems like he doesn't really have any discernible range. (He can smoke a doobie really well though, and it pays off in this movie.) One thing he does have is a very limited ego. There are always certain imperfections about his characters that he has no qualms about exploring. Running across the street is a grand expedition for the somewhat overweight guy. He also is a great straight man to his fellow actors. He sets up Franco perfectly in so many scenes in this movie.
These people really are on a roll. The two funniest movies I have seen this year were both Apatow productions. Besides Pixar, it is the most reliant brand out there. The only complaint I could have about this film, is it's too creative violence. There were a couple moments in the film when a person was shot, or someone died, or some body part was blown off, that I simply didn't find that funny. Gore simply isn't to me, and I think they shouldn't have gotten so grotesque in some parts. Gun violence very rarely is funny I've noticed. It's too lethal and bloody. Now, if you hit somebody with a shovel or smashed a two by four over their head, that could be hilarious. Shooting them in that same head, not so much. The huge climatic action sequence at the end got a whole lot funnier when they ran out of ammo and had to find more creative ways to pummel each other. 

Superbad 08/31/07

This movie starts with a telephone conversation about pornsites. Its between two friends who happen to be the completely different sides of the unpopular spectrum. A fat sex-obsessed Seth Rogan and an awkward nice boy named Evan Goldberg (cast magnificently with Michael Cera from Arrested Development). Seth can't stop talking about sex the entire time. Evan would wish the concept didn't even exist. Neither are anywhere near to getting any. To make matters worse they're in the last weeks of high school. To not score now would be complete humiliation in this day and age. The plan: get invited to a party by being the people to bring the booze. To help with this plan the movie has provided one of the funniest characters the movies have produced: a clueless nerd named Fogle aka McLovin (played by newcomer Chris Plasse). Also included are a couple of the worst cops ever to grace the screen. (One is played by the actual Seth Rogan who also wrote the script). These guys apparently became cops because they were just like the main characters once: Total losers. Now they have guns and run red lights. They take an incredible liking to McLovin because they see themselves in him. McLovin, in this film, has one of the best nights in anyone's life. His relationship with the cops is completely classic in every way.
But still this doesn't diminish the two other storylines. These are not as hilarious but provide the movie with an incredible amount of heart in the midst of raunch. Not surprisingly this film was produced by Judd Apatow, who is seriously looking like a Rated R John Hughes. A couple more great movies and John Hughes will start looking like a PG version of Judd Apatow. I have not seen so much comic agony since "The 40-Year Old Virgin," (another Judd Apatow film.) This film understands inside and out the characthers it's portraying. Finally there has been at least one film that took place inside high school that wasn't complete stereotypical crap. This is the one to see. It is definitely not another teen movie. It's fantastic. The best comedy of the year so far.