Wanderlust Review

Wanderlust

2.5 stars out of 4

By Brett Takeshita


This strange, awkward, ridiculous, and uncomfortable film is one of the wackiest comedies in years. It tells the story of a New York couple that moves into a hippie-type community after experiencing some hardships in the city. And that's it. There really isn't much of a plot. What this film does consist of is sitcom-esque scenes and scenarios that are jammed together to fill up a feature length film. This is Wanderlust's strength and weakness. Some of the jokes and comedic situations fall flat. For example, the "after-effects" of drugs can be funny, but a lot of the "drug scenes" in the film don't bring much new to the table. However, when the jokes succeed, they are truly hilarious. (The highlight of the whole film involves Paul Rudd's character alone in the bathroom. Incredibly funny stuff). When I say that this film is uncomfortable, I mean that this film literally had me cringing. You never know what to expect from this film. Some of the imagery and the dialogue are disgustingly crude and strange in mostly good ways. Jennifer Aniston gives a good performance. It seems like she broke out of her comfort zone (like she did in Horrible Bosses) to be in this film. She has some truly funny moments. However, Paul Rudd is the true star player. He gives a fearless performance and takes so many risks that many comedic actors would not dare take. He absolutely sells each scene and elevates some of the duller material. While Wanderlust is nowhere near perfect, it is a good comedy that is original and most importantly, funny.