Critics overlook a ‘mechanical’ plot line for some comedic relief
Wanderlust hits theaters Friday, February 24, and critics are saying that while the storyline is lacking, it’s laugh-out-loud funny.
Wanderlust, starring Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston, is a film about two New Yorkers who lose everything when the real estate market drops out from under their West Village apartment—in which they had just invested all of their money. Rudd’s character loses his job, and Aniston’s character misses out on an expected windfall, leaving them to face some major life decisions.
Together, the two decide to act on their own wanderlust and head down to Georgia to live a simpler lifestyle. After some failed attempts at starting over, they eventually find themselves living in a hedonistic hippie commune, and of course the hilarity ensues.
Wanderlust also stars Malin Akerman and Aniston’s new beau Justin Theroux, who plays a long-haired hippie named Seth. Aniston and Theroux met on the set of Wanderlust.
Wanderlust was written and directed by David Wain, who teamed up with Paul Rudd for the movie Role Models. Wain also wrote and appeared in Wet Hot American Summer. He has admitted he is currently working on a sequel for Wet Hot American Summer, but has been very secretive about the details of the story line.
While Wain often makes small cameos in his films, you won’t see him in Wanderlust. Paul Rudd however is true to his typical style, getting laughs for the improvised jokes that we have come to expect from him.
Although the plotline for Wanderlust has been deemed mechanical, and apparently contains some of those exasperating situations that can make comedies hard to watch, critics seem to have overlooked these small flaws, grateful for a chance to laugh out loud at the movies.
