They Came Together, 2014.
Directed by David Wain.
Starring Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Cobie Smulders, Christopher Meloni, Max Greenfield, Bill Hader, Ellie Kemper, Jason Mantzoukas, Melanie Lynskey and Ed Helms.
SYNOPSIS:
When Joel (Rudd) and Molly (Poehler) meet, it’s hate at first sight: his big Corporate Candy Company threatens to shut down her quirky indie shop. But amazingly, they fall in love, until they break up and then must find their way back together.
Romantic comedies continue to get churned out every year, and almost every director and screenwriter continue to do the same things over and over again. It’s not often that we get a romantic comedy that tries to do something different, let alone attempts to parody the genre. With They Came Together, director David Wain (Role Models) decided to bring his own brand of humor in to try and poke some fun at the genre and showcase just how dumb some romantic comedies can be.
In They Came Together, Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler play a couple on a double date as they tell their friends the story of how they met and got to where they are currently. It all takes place in the same set ups from every romantic comedy we see on a consistent basis. From the introductions of our main characters, to the awkward first meeting, to the eventual conflict, to the reuniting of the characters – all of this is told in really silly situations that are almost too overbearing at times, but they do provide some good satire on the genre.
The direction Wain chooses to go with this film works and doesn’t work at the same time. While there are many funny and humorous moments and one liners, there are almost just as many sequences that either don’t work, or have a joke that goes on for way too long. That being said, the moments here that are funny really do work and had me genuinely laughing. Another thing that nearly makes and breaks the film is how self aware everything can be. Being self aware can be extremely funny or agonizing and here it ends up being a little of both.
For something like this to really work it needs to have some competent leads. Thankfully, Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler are both great comedic actors and actually have some good chemistry together throughout the film. It also boasts a ton of great supporting actors and cameos including Bill Hader, Ellie Kemper, Christopher Meloni, Cobie Smulders, Ed Helms and many more. Having a very game cast helps lift the film from being something that almost tries a little too hard.
Despite a good amount of shortcomings, They Come Together does boast some funny moments thanks largely in part to the performances of Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler. This is definitely not something for everyone but fans of David Wain’s previous films are sure to love it.
lickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Jake Peffer
Originally published August 2, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
