Movie Review: Wanderlust

Wanderlustis a comedy starring Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston about their journey from New York City to Atlanta. It's not a road trip comedy, but more of a coming to terms with your failing life comedy.

The couple finds themselves both unemployed after purchasing a flat in the big city. Since there's no where else to turn, they seek refuge at George's (Rudd) brother's home in Atlanta. On the long drive from NY to GA, they stop at a B&B for the night, only the B&B turns out to be a hippie commune where they have the night of their lives.

Everyone needs an escape from the day to day and this is exactly what happens to the happy couple, but when you try to turn your vacation into your life things simply don't work out.

The film has the typical format of one person convincing the other to do something them turning out to hate the act themselves. This has been used in countless comedies and other genres as well, but it's not always about the plot but more of how the actors take on the roles. Here the actors are at the top of their game, doing what they normally do, but as a collective whole.

I was worried that both Aniston and Rudd, having similar humor styles, would clash on screen and the audience would be left with no real contrast. The contrast in the film comes from the many different characters in the commune and the diversity between the hustle bustle life and the simplistic hippie way of life.

Be warned, if you do watch this film, there's a nudist amongst the group of hippies (Joe Lo Truglio) and his junk is seen a few times. There's also a nudist meetup where much skin is exposed.

While the film is not the funniest movie I've seen, it has its moments and there's one scene in particular where Rudd had me laughing so hard that I actually choked. I could type out the dialogue, but the words are not what made the scene, it was Rudd's acting and goofy mannerisms that were priceless. I rewatched the scene several times just to make sure it wasn't contextual thing and it wasn't. The scene fits the dynamic of what's going on in the film at the time, but when played back solo is still funny.

Overall, the film is a solid piece of comedy. With all its flaws and generic plot devices, it's still good for a laugh, especially the one scene with Rudd. I'd watch the film again just to see that scene.