by ·Comments Off on Role Models (2008, David Wain)

Same director, writers, cast & composer (Craig Wedren!) as Wet Hot American Summer – but also the same as The Ten – so this could’ve turned out a beloved favorite comedy, or something worse than My Name Is Bruce. Instead it took the middle road, sort of a Richard Linklater’s Bad News Bears sort of thing – a nice, but somewhat generic and forgettable comedy about troubled adults trying to mentor troubled kids.

Two kinda-famous comedy actors play a total slacker and a dude with anger issues who work as energy drink reps. After they fuck that up, their community service is to be big-brother types to two boys, boobies-obsessed foul-mouthed young black kid and live-action-role-playing bully-magnet older white kid. Lessons are learned, lots of State alums show up, angry dude gets his girlfriend back, roll credits.

A decent way to pass the time. Made me laugh. Oh man I just found out David Wain has his own TV series. Why’s no one tell me anything?

by ·Comments Off on The Ten (2007, David Wain)

Not in order: 1. Guy (Adam Brody) gets stuck in ground after bad parachute dive, achieves short-lived fame / 2. Woman on Mexican vacation (Gretchen Mol) has passionate affair with Jesus Christ (Justin Theroux) / 3. Guy (assistant chef in wet hot) skips church to stay home naked, invites over lots of other guys / 4. White mom confesses to black kids that their real dad wasn’t white, hires impersonator (Oliver Platt) / 5. Doctor (Ken Marino) leaves scissors inside patient “as a goof” / 6. Woman (Winona Ryder) leaves new husband for ventriloquist dummy / 7. Animated rhino (Jon Benjamin) lies until no one trusts him, then town is wiped out after not believing his warnings / 8. Prisoner (Marino again) being raped by cellmate wishes to be raped by a new cellmate (Rob Corddry) / 9. Neighbors (Liev Schreiber & Joe Lo Truglio) have rivalry over who owns more cat-scan machines / 10. Couple from framing device (Paul Rudd & Famke Janssen) meet years later and get back together

What humor there is gets stifled by the endless unfunny parts, a pained grin on my face, wanting to enjoy the movie but being horrified instead by its lameness. Parts 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10 and the entire overlong Paul Rudd framing device pretty much suck, and that’s most of the movie. The others would be funny web sketches that I’d watch on YouTube (but probably turn ’em off before they were over) but they’re not movie-worthy… the thing doesn’t feel like a movie, like W.H.A.S. did, just a rough draft of a failed sketch show.

Jessica Alba and Janeane Garofalo and Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black knew better than to get deeply involved – they all have bit roles. Either replacing Showalter with Marino as co-writer was a bad idea, or the whole thing was doomed from the start. The trailer was funnier. Just glad I saw it for free.

by ·Comments Off on Wet Hot American Summer (2001, David Wain)

Apparently seeing this movie four times is not too many, because I still enjoyed it. Katy liked it too. An underloved comedy classic.

Although now that I’ve heard the commentary, I spend a lot of time thinking about how cold it might be during the scene, and whether it’s raining.

Michael Showalter and David Wain’s next movie The Ten is coming soon.

These days, Jeaneane Garofalo’s voice is starring in Ratatouille and David Hyde Pierce is in nothing at all. Marguerite Moreau (the hot one) was the lead in Firestarter 2. Cafeteria worker A.D. Miles starred with Zach G. in fake-news show Dog Bites Man. The dick who dates the hot girl, Paul Rudd, is in Knocked Up and everything else. Lead cafeteria guy Gene (Chris Meloni) must’ve been unstable and Christopher-Lloyd-looking enough to land a part in Oz and both Harold & Kumar movies. Post-breakup pedophiliac counselor Molly Shannon starred in Year of the Dog. The drama counselors are apparently-hot-right-now SNL comic Amy Poehler and the CIA contact in Alias, Bradley Cooper. Cameo (as Molly’s ex-husband) by comedy guy Judah Friedlander, who will apparently be in Cabin Fever 2, and of course, the most famous person who has ever screamed at my brother in public, Jon Benjamin as the can of vegetables.

Related shows I miss:
The State
Viva Variety

Related shows I never really watched:
The Baxter (m. showalter movie)
Reno 911
Stella
Tom Goes To The Mayor