Are You Here (FILM REVIEW)
Are You Here
Film Review
by Kam Williams
Owen Wilson and Zach Galifianakis Return to Roots in
Irreverent Buddy Comedy
Sometimes you can appreciate
what a movie might have been shooting for, even though the final cut falls far
short of the mark. Such is the case with Are You Here, a cringe-inducing buddy
comedy co-starring Owen Wilson and Zach Galifianakis.
The movie marks the eagerly-anticipated
directorial debut of nine-time, Emmy-winner Matthew Weiner who fails in his
first attempt to find the same magic which served him so well writing scripts
for both Mad Men and The Sopranos. Unfortunately, something ostensibly got lost
in the translation from TV to the big screen, as this picture proves to be an
annoying test of patience.
The problem probably emanates from the
ill-advised pairing of the wry Wilson and goofy Galifianakis, whose personas
mix about as well as oil and water. Sorry, Weiner doesn’t get any extra credit for
effort for crafting an ambitious adventure that bites off more than it could
chew cinematically, since all that matters to an audience is execution.
And while Are You
Here revolves around an intriguing enough premise and features plenty of
surprising twists, the comedy portion of the production simply flunks the “Make
me laugh” test. At the point of departure, we’re introduced to roommates/BFFs
Ben Baker (Galifianakis) and Steve Dallas (Wilson). The former is an infantile eccentric
incapable of functioning in society, while the latter is a stoner and popular TV
weatherman for a local network.
When Ben’s dad dies,
the two decide to drive the thousand miles back to their idyllic hometown in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania,
where the recently deceased has left behind property worth millions of dollars.
Also showing up for the funeral is Ben’s only sibling, Terry (Amy Poehler), a greedy
shrew who clearly expects to inherit half of her father’s estate.
At the reading of the
will, however, she learns that the old man only left her $350,000, and cut his trophy
second-wife, Angela (Laura Ramsey), out of the will entirely, with the bulk of his
cash plus a grocery store and 144-acre farm going to Ben. But her brother’s so dysfunctional,
there’s no way he’d ever be able to manage the family businesses, given such
bizarre behavior as visiting their Amish neighbors in his birthday suit.
Based on the scenario
I’ve just described, one would naturally expect the tension to build around a
fight over the inheritance. However, writer/director Weiner earns high marks
for creativity in that regard, as he’s fashioned a novel plot that’s hard to
predict.
Rather than spoil any
of the subsequent developments, suffice to say that its unique storyline can’t
save a picture that breaks a cardinal rule of comedy by failing to be funny. Have
Wilson, Galifianakis and Poehler ever been better? Gosh, I certainly hope so.
Fair (1 star)
Rated R
for sexuality, nudity, profanity and drug use
Running time: 114 minutes
Distributor: Millennium
Entertainment
To see a trailer for Are
You Here, visit:
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