Rating of
1.5/4
Neither Dramatic Nor Funny
mitchellyoung - wrote on 09/05/12
I'd call this "comedy" a career low for most involved. Vaughn and James have both been much funnier and both actors play rehashed versions of previous characters (Vaughn as the boisterous loudmouth and James as the slumping everyman.) A lot of blame falls on Ron Howard who directs the film into an odd gray area between slapstick comedy (Vince Vaughn falls into poison ivy) and dark drama (Kevin James' wife is cheating on him in the most meanspirited way.) The result is an uneven film that is neither funny nor particularly original when it comes to the dramatic tension. Talented actors like Queen Latifah play annoying throwaway characters and the film ends with a weird tack-on ending that has nothing to do with the main throughline whatsoever.
