User reviews

Just like most people who've written reviews for this film, I too was excited to hear about a film staring two great comedians like Braff and Bateman. How could you go wrong with these two? However, with two inexperienced writers and one inexperienced director; it's not hard to see where this film goes wrong.

The script is at times, very poor and extremely lacking in intelligent or deep humor, the characters are one dimensional and there are a lot of pointless and derivative scenes. There is no real chemistry between Braff and Peet and the soundtrack is somewhat lacking.

It's really awful to see such amazing talents go to waste in such a simple and shallow comedy such as this.

There are however, some great ideas in this film; the only shame is that they are not explored in their comedic entirety. Braff and Bateman are as usual, wonderful and do the best they can with the characters and the script they were given.

Zach Braff ("Scrubs"), Amanda Peet ("Studio 60..") and Jason Bateman ("Arrested Development") help this little film just over the "average" bar. Even though their characters are pretty shallow, they put in a good performance and partly succeed in making you forget about the shabby script. There are a couple of funny moments, but without this cast the movie would have fallen apart, its strictly formulaic approach and lack of any inspiration just being too obvious. It's not as bad as "The Last Kiss", but Braff should choose his options more wisely, unless he wants his well-deserved Garden State acclaim to go down the drain.

Recommended only for fans of the above-mentioned stars, the rest of you is not missing out on anything.

Writers David Guion and Michael Handelman and director Jesse Peretz must have called in a lot of favors when they made "The Ex," for how else to account for the presence of Zach Braff, Amanda Peet, Jason Bateman, Charles Grodin, Mia Farrow, Amy Poehler, Fred Armisen, Paul Rudd and Amy Adams in as slight an indie comedy as the one they have manufactured here? And "manufactured" is definitely the operative term in this case, for "The Ex" feels contrived and phony from the get-go.

After he gets fired from his job as a chef in an upscale Manhattan restaurant, Tom Reilly (Braff) moves with his wife and infant son back to her hometown in Ohio where he gets a job at the same ad agency where his father-in-law (Grodin) works. One of the employees, Chip (Bateman), an old flame of Tom's wife, Sofia (Peet), tries to sabotage Tom at every turn, undercutting him at work and trying to rekindle the romance between Sofia and himself.

"The Ex" fails on a variety of levels, but the primary one is that, while it is supposed to be a satire of small town, middle American values, most of the characters - with their New-Age quirkiness and bohemian eccentricities - seem as if they'd be more at home living in some converted loft in Soho than on a tree-lined street in suburban Ohio. The setting of "The Ex" doesn't feel like Anyplace, USA; in fact, it doesn't feel like anyplace, period, except maybe the fantasy world of two overpaid Hollywood screenwriters. Add to this an assortment of unappealing and unappetizing characters, a tendency towards sitcom-level humor and plotting, and an over-reliance on heavy-handed slapstick and sight gags, and you have one of the major comedy disappointments of 2007. Braff is definitely a talented actor, but "The Ex" is a career path misfire that should be mercifully forgotten

I think the main actors in this flick (Zach Braff, Amanda Peet, and the totally wasted Jason Bateman) were the only thing that was even somewhat decent about this terrible attempt of comedy. I have seen better episodes of "Arrested Development" than this. If you are looking for a couple chuckles and plan on forgetting it immediately, this is right up your alley. If want to see an actual funny comedy, there are many others that are worth while. Bateman is pretty good, but you can be the best in the biz, but with a crummy script, no one can save it. A lot of the little bit parts are somewhat amusing, but hardly worth watching.

In this movie we see Tom Reilly getting sacked as a cook in Manhattan and starting over in Ohio at the ad agency, where his father-in-law is the assistant director.Tom and his wife Sofia have their first child.What causes trouble in Tom's new life is Chip, the man in a wheelchair.Chip happens to be Sofia's ex-boyfriend from high school.Tom doesn't trust that guy.The Ex (2006) is directed by Jesse Peretz.The movie was a pretty big failure, but I don't see it as such a huge turkey.Zach Braff gives a great performance in the lead as Tom Reilly.Amanda Peet is very good as Sofia.Jason Bateman's character Chip Sanders is not the most likable, but his performance is good.I really enjoyed watching the work of Charles Grodin, who plays Bob Kowalski.In his character you can find a pretty big deal of tragicomedy.Before this movie Charles hadn't done one single movie in 12 years, and after this he hasn't done any.Mia Farrow is terrific as his wife Amelia.Amy Poehler plays Carol Lane.Paul Rudd is Leon.Fred Armisen plays Manny.Donald Logue is Don Wollebin.Amy Adams portrays Abby March.Marin Hinkle plays the part of Karen.As a movie this doesn't shine in anyways.It may have some potential, but that's all.Some of the characters in this movie are a bit annoying, like that kid.And of course Chip.But it is a bit funny sometimes.Like when Tom tries to prove that Chip can walk.So this is a movie you can check out when you got the time, and you may even like it.

I had high hopes for this film and made my friend watch it. His comment at the end was that he was glad he didn't spend any money on it. I must agree. While I enjoy all the actors involved, the film just doesn't have enough going for it to put it over the top. Too much talent was shown and then not used. This left me wanting.

With regards to the plot element: We care about Tom and Sofia, but Tom acts like an idiot and Sofia appears to brush him off too easily. Of course, this is to play into the plot, but it was too hard to believe after the beginning was set up so solidly. The result is a plot that cannot maintain it's credibility through to the end. It's a light film, so this isn't the greatest of crimes.

All in all, it is enjoyable, but it's middle of the road fare and certainly not worth the 8.1 rating that it is currently riding at. Rather somewhere between a five and a six depending on your perspectives and your mood. If you are rating this film higher, go watch Zach in Garden State and rethink your rating. That film is truly worth it's current 8 rating.

Enough said, 5 of 10.

Jason Bateman shined in this average comedy featuring Zach Braff and Amanda Peet. Despite being in a wheelchair for the entire movie, Jason Bateman does a fantastic job making the audience despise his character Chip Sanders. Tom Reilly (Braff) moves back to his wife's home town to take a job working with his father-in-law. Despite his nice-guy efforts, co-worker Chip just won't let Tom feel like he's doing anything right. When we discover that Chip is actually Tom's wife's ex, Bateman's performance had me wishing that Zach Braff would strangle Chip in a fit of rage.

Zach Braff plays the likable main character who, just when you start to cheer for him, finds some idiotic way to disappoint you. I expected a little more from Amanda Peet after her hysterical performance in The Whole Nine Yards, but she performed solidly.

Jason Bateman proves in this flick just why he received so much critical acclaim for Arrested Development.

The movie doesn't move anywhere plot-wise. Everyone apart from the guy which is disabled seem to range from dumb to very dumb.

Tom's in-laws are very naive. Tom isn't intelligent either. Most of the people lack common sense. His wife never supports him and Tom doesn't does anything to improve his life either at work or at home. i feel i wasted 100 minutes of my life by watching this movie.

NEVER watch this movie, unless you have NOTHING, by nothing i mean it. Even staring out of your window can be an interesting thing to do than watching this movie.

NEVER NEVER watch this movie.

A fairly amusing show where Braff's character deals with a co-worker in a new job that had had a thing with his wife in high school. This comedy doesn't bring anything new to the genre, but is a fair watch overall with some interesting elements.

The Good: Appropriate length, Fair acting, Great gag reel (after some credits start rolling), amusing overall, villain is mean, but doesn't cross the line- after all comedies are not about sadistic, truly evil villains. They are usually funny, selfishly misguided people, and Bateman fits the bill perfectly.

The Bad: Too much slapstick humor, had more potential, some scenes were unfocused and with no real purpose.

Zach Braff and Jason Bateman in one movie, hell yeah! How can it not be funny? Answer: by getting poor writers that have no idea of what makes these actors great. I guess "Fast Track" technically is a comedy, but it's just one without punchlines, funny one-liners or well, wit of any kind really. There's a lot of drama in there, there's a lot of romance, there's a lot of Amanda Peet talking about poo, but somewhere along the line they stopped bothering to put in actual laughs. There are indeed some attempts at humor in this movie, but it's the kind of situational drivel you already sigh at when it comes up in sitcoms, let alone in feature films. The actors save what there is to save, but they can't exactly make it laugh-out-loud funny with this material. A disappointment.

Being a fan of my generation's brilliant TV comedians: Zach Braff of Scrubs and Jason Bateman of Arrested Development. I saw the movie at a special screening and I wasn't disappointed. The lead of the movie is actually Braff who plays Tom Reilly, a slacker married to a young lawyer Sarah Kowalski played by Amanda Peet. Due to his temper and frank attitude, Reilly doesn't last long in his jobs and his wife has the most stable job. The problem, arises when he got fired from his last job after Sarah gives birth to their firstborn and she wants to become a stay at home mom to their baby. They moved back to her parents hometown in Ohio and his father in law got Tom a job at his work - an advertising company, only to be assigned to work under his girl's ex-lover Chip Sanders played by Jason Bateman who still have to hots for Sarah. Good acting and comedic timing by Braff and Bateman raises it's quality from a middling script. If you are a fan of Zach Braff or Jason Bateman, this is a must-see.

what to say, well the film was average, nothing brilliant but it did manage to hold your attention until the end.

Both leads were fine, again not brilliant but if anyone steals the show i would say that had to be Jason Bateman. He was your typical Villain type character but played his part well attempting to win the sympathy vote being wheelchair bound, not quite as Crude as "The Ringer" was in this area. Charles Grodin looked exceptionally old, the last time i saw him was with De Niro in Midnight Run but he has aged.

The film didn't have a real chance to loose your attention though at only 78 minutes. It has some silly funny moments but on the whole i would have to say go and watch it and make your own mind up after all you are reading my comment now but in your heart will what i say sway your decision on whether to watch this film.

Tom (Zach Braff) is a bright man who just keeps leaving jobs. As he is married to beautiful Sofia (Amanda Peet), a successful lawyer, this has not been a life-changing problem. However, hours before Sofia is set to give birth to their son, Tom promptly loses his latest job as a chef. As Sofia longs to be a stay at home mother, the only choice available now for the young family is a move to Ohio where Tom can take a job offered by Sofia's father. Although Tom has no background in the advertising world, he scores big points when he comes up with an extremely creative pitch for a condiment company. Yeah. But, working alongside Tom is the slimeman of the century, a man named Chip. Not only is wheelchair-bound Chip (Jason Bateman) an ex-boyfriend of Sofia's, he has everyone else fooled into thinking he is a great guy with a hefty talent as an ad man. Tom sees Chip's true self but exposing a handicapped man as a dirtbag is a difficult thing to do. Will Tom alienate everyone if he goes after Chip? This is a lame movie in almost every respect. From the forgettable script to the laissez-faire direction to the so-so production values, The Ex has definite problems. Worse still, the nice cast, which also includes Charles Grodin and Mia Farrow, can not transcend material of this caliber, no matter how hard they try. Braff is a lovable guy, so it really hurts that he and the others have nothing to work with here. Yes, I did crack a smile a few times but I found myself wincing more often than not. As a movie for bedridden flu patients, I suppose this one is okay. But, please do not spend big bucks arranging a viewing. Wait until it hits the cheap theaters, at least, or for the moment that you have a coupon for a free DVD rental. Even then, remember not to expect anything great, as this film is as disposable as they come.

If I were to look at it, I would say The Ex aka Fast Track forms a loose trilogy of sorts with regards to growing up, and somewhat like a natural progression in the different stages of life that Zach Braff's characters form when stringed together. With Garden State, it's in the 20s where you're having a feel for the ground, exploring your options and not knowing exactly what life will dish out to you.With One Last Kiss, so you think that you're dead sure about your other half, you're getting married and vowing to spend the rest of your lives together, and suddenly an ingenue comes along, and cast doubts about that.

Plenty of what-will-you-do moments, with outcome that are different depending on your values, but totally possible, and brought out earnestly through Braff's performance as the everyday man. In The Ex, Zach Braff plays the blue collar salaryman whose hotshot lawyer wife had just given birth and as agreed, she'll be a stay home mum. But he just got fired from his job, thus sending their agreement into red alert zone. Taking up his father in law's offer, he uproots himself, wife and baby and starts work in a new age advertising company, only to meet up with his wife's ex.

You'd come to expect the usual jokes about not fitting into a totally different corporate culture with its own idiosyncrasies, conflict with the parents, and the constant threat posed by the wife's ex Chip Sanders played by Jason Bateman, which I bet almost every male would want to kill given his attitude and back stabbing nature. It's classic office politics at work as we root for the survival of Zach's Tom Reilly, though at times you'd expect him to have a little more backbone, and a little bit of smarts to survive the jungle out there.

If that sounds a little like Meet The Parents, it does. And it also is styled after Just Friends in the rivalry department, where two guys do battle over a girl, only that this time, it's the third party up against a married couple. Though I'd say it again, nothing beats riling you up when you see how the bastard at work gets away with almost everything, and get incensed with his obvious intentions to bang his ex, i.e. the wife.

The flow of the movie did seem a little broken at times, which I suspect that there were a lot more filmed than was put on screen, perhaps saving them for the DVD release. The ideas injected into the movie were numerous, but that made for the narrative feeling a little scattered. For instance, Amanda Peet as the wife Sofia Kowalski didn't really have much to do except nurse the baby, and be in some of the most trying comedic scenes such as the ones involving yoga.

Fans of Braff will not want to miss yet another familiar performance, and remember to stay tune during the credits for a coda, as well as various bloopers, some of which are genuinely funnier than the bits that made it to the movie.

"The Ex" is one of those movies that you expect to be a little-known comedy gem. Its cast, including Amanada Peet, Zach Braff and Jason Bateman, are all very talented. But there's good reason it was a straight-to-DVD release. It's not funny.

Its biggest problem is with characterization. Zach Braff plays the everyman, which is good casting because Braff plays the everyman with a comedic touch quite well. So well, in fact, that we connect to him. He wants to treat his wife well, work hard, and impress his in-laws. We want him to succeed just as much as he does. But then we start finding out that his wife (Amanda Peet) has no likable qualities and continues to force his life into hell, his in-laws of course are completely stubborn, and his co-worker (Jason Bateman) is a competitive back-stabbing ex-boyfriend of his wife. Obviously things don't go well for our hero, and they don't go well for the entire course of the movie.

For this to work as a comedy, we need to understand our hero's connection to his wife, we need to see that there's a way in to connect with his in-laws, and we need to know that other characters see what the ex is really like, but the writers didn't give us any of that. Instead we have to sit there while our hero, who is essentially us, is being tortured for no good reason and with no way out. I certainly wasn't laughing.

I love most of the actors in this movie, Zach Braff, Amanda Peet, even Charles Grodin. I'm sorry to say, that even the best actors could not have saved this film.

The entire movie is a "what can go wrong, will go wrong" plot from hell, but unlike other movies that have success with the idea this one flops; at every opportunity. The movie was physically painful. From nearly start to finish, I had my head in my hands or pulling out my hair. My chest ached. The whole ride home consisted of my wife and I trying to think of the last movie we had seen that was as bad.

The movie had few-no saving graces, possibilities being the kid who played Wesley, and a short marriage counseling scene.

I could not recommend this movie to anyone outside of the GIs who need a non-violent torture tool in Gitmo.

Ever since his directorial debut of Garden State, I have been an avid Zach Braff fan. I liked him on Scrubs, loved him in State, thought The Last Kiss was great, and really enjoyed his vocal work in Chicken Little (although the movie itself left a lot to be desired). So when The Ex was finally set to be released, I obviously looked forward to seeing it. And while he was great as always, the movie was a bit off from his other works.

The Ex revolves around Tom (Braff), who jumps from job to job as he prepares for the birth of his first child with wife Sofia (Amanda Peet). After getting fired from a promising job, he decides that the new family should move back to where Sofia's parents live, and take up the job that Sofia's father Bob (Charles Grodin) has always been offering. But after he takes the position, he gets paired off with hotshot paraplegic Chip (Jason Bateman), who just happens to be Sofia's friend and lover in high school, and is really not too keen on Tom.

The plot may sound contrived, but the final product is a bit of a mish-mash of great, and not so great ideas.

On the side of being great are the hilarious performances from Braff and Bateman. Although he is more of a madcap screwball here, Braff still delivers a poignancy to the role. In a way, it felt a bit more mature than his work in State and Kiss, as he is no longer dealing in existential phobias. Here, he is more of a man without a plan, and he gives it his all. He has his hysterical moments, and he has his moments of pure drama. And all, for the most part, work great. You can see the obvious traces of his other characters, but he makes this character much more than just another shade of Andrew Largeman. Bateman on the other hand, steals the show as Braff's nemesis. His quick changing gears from nice, ambitious guy to a cold and calculating ego-centric sociopath is intriguing to watch, and delivers the majority of the laughs throughout the film. And even at the most ridiculous times, Bateman stays straight-laden, and never gives into any other feelings but that of his character.

Also on the great side are amusing character performances from Grodin, Mia Farrow (as Sofia's mother), and Fred Armisen as Tom and Chip's co-worker Manny. All do great in their small roles, and make for some really funny interactions with Braff and Bateman.

The script also offers a great story (albeit not very deeply intellectual), with plenty of moral overtones. While it could have just been a simple revenge-style flick, it does tend to open itself up a bit more with a few subplots. And while at least one seems a bit useless, the majority all tie in quite nicely, and make for great development of characters. As said previously, it has some pretty hysterical moments, and a few chuckle filled moments in-between.

But the laughs do not last for the length of the entire movie. There are long dry spells where nothing funny happens, and instead, just leave room for either cringing or a begging of patience for the next joke. The subplots work yes, but there are a few that feel tacked on just to stretch out the running time, as if the filmmakers knew that what they had would not cut it, so they ordered a few extensions. And some of these sequences feel rather painfully obvious where they have been placed, but some feel right at home and would not be looked at any different had they not been tacked on. Some of the characters are a bit extraneous as well (specifically Amy Adams as a rival mother to Peet), while others just look like they drifted in from off the street looking for work because their last TV gig did not work out all too well. Thankfully, the majority of these bit players are alright in their small roles, but nonetheless, feel a bit like a reunion of failed television series actors.

Another problem is with the tone of the script. It jumps around far too often, never settling on whether it wants to be a Farrelly Brothers-esquire madcap comedy, or a darkly twisted Coen Brothers-style comedy. The scenes just do not all jive together, and much like the subplots, feel like they were tacked on during production. While the story works cohesively, the comedic moments just feel awkward in some places. I can laugh at anything, so it did not bug me totally. But for anyone looking for just some lighthearted fun at the movies, it may turn out to be a problem.

As well, Peet feels out of place. Although she is younger than Bateman and just slightly older than Braff, her character acts far too mature to interact with either of them. They both are out of her league, and when she is trying to display emotions suggesting thoughts to the contrary, they just do not work. I know her character is supposed to be more than just a stay-at-home mother, but she just looks and acts too old for the part she is supposed to be playing. And of course, her character is fodder for many mentions that never come to fruition. She is just far too serious and stern for the material, and when she is not trying her best not to show it, she just looks like a snob acting solely for a paycheque.

Although there are problems with it, The Ex does have its great moments, and has some very funny performances from Braff and Bateman (not to mention the first role for Charles Grodin in well over a decade). Just do not go in expecting another complex and intricate Braff comedy.

7/10.

Originally, this movie was titled Fast Track, since it's about an up-and-coming marketing guy who's on the proverbial way up at his father-in-law's firm. But then it was changed to The Ex, which shifted the focus from the workplace to the home. But let's get this straight: Either name is infinitely better then the unhealthy dollop of mean-spirited junk that appears after the title card on the screen.

Tom (Zach Braff) has been fired from his job as a chef at a hoity-toity restaurant, so he and his wife Sofia (Amanda Peet) and their newborn baby schlep from New York to Ohio, where Sofia's dad Bob (Charles Grodin) has not only set Tom up with a new job but also has procured a nice little house for them to raise their new family in. Aww, ain't that sweet. But things don't start off well for Tom at the marketing firm, which turns out to be both new age and, well, wacko. You know, a place where such "creative" aspects as casual dress, unwalled offices, an imaginary ball of ideas or something abound. Tom has some issues with fitting in with the eclectic, quirky crew, but more importantly he clashes immediately with his new supervisor, Chip (Jason Bateman), who just happens to be a former schoolmate of Sofia. Oh, and a paraplegic, of course.

But don't worry; although it seems like this is a romantic comedy about jealousy and redemption, about a young couple getting past their differences to survive as a unit, it's set up to be more like a slapstick comedy, with many jokes at Chip's expense. (Which is okay, because Chip is a real jerk.) The sad reality, though, is that the movie fails at both genres. Women won't like it, because there's no real romance, no genuine feelings on anyone's part. (Sorry to generalize, ladies.) Guys won't like it, because there's not nearly enough physical humor. That would be fine, except there's hardly any subtle humor, either. What you're left with is just vicious, mean-spiritedness that drains every ounce of humor from an otherwise talented cast.

Braff's not terrible, but I never got the sense that he was, well, believable as someone women would desire. But what do I know, I'm a straight male. The affection between him and Peet seemed forced, tentative, and unnatural, sort of like unwilling siblings. Peet wasn't bad, either, but she didn't have much to work with - on a positive note, she doesn't come off as icily unappealing as she does in most of her other films.

And man, check out Charles Grodin. I had to check to see who was playing Sofia's dad - Grodin, who hadn't been in a movie in 13 years, looks about 85 years old here. I thought he was Bob Eubanks. There's one scene, too, in which Bob utters the f-word. For no freaking reason other than to have Charles Grodin, septuagenarian, drop an f-bomb.

Interestingly enough, the unrated version of the movie runs about five minutes shorter than the rated one that was seen in theater. And, having seen the unrated one, I couldn't tell you about any particular scenes that were so raw that they would have pushed the rating to an unwanted NC-17. So I have to assume that the rated one was even tamer, and thus even crappier.

Sad and predictable in its attempt at comedy, The Ex is a waste of time. You'll be clawing your eyes out at the numbing awfulness.

When I first walked into the theater to watch "The Ex" I was hoping on an hour and a half of non-stop gut laughter, I didn't get that, so I was slightly disappointed.

Looking back on it now I can see I was expecting too much. There isn't a possible way that an hour and a half long movie could keep the laughs-per-minute value as something like AD or Scrubs. What it does though, in my opinion, is keep the momentum of those two shows.

When I watched this movie a second time, I was not disappointed at all, because truthfully, "The Ex" is a fun little comedy that makes you chuckle and makes fast use of ninety minutes (as opposed to being drawn out and slow).

What makes this movie good is the actors. They're all superb, Zach Braff is hilarious, and you love to hate Jason Batemen's character. Charles Grodin's character was also particularly funny.

If there were halves, I'd give this movie a 7.5, but there isn't, but let me tell you why: I always start my movie grading at 9, and then add on an extra point if the movie is just jaw droppingly awesome. So for this movie I took of one point for the sole fact, that while the actors were fine, the script did not use them to their full potential. And then I also took off half a point because it seems like there was a lot more to the movie, that was cut out.

So there you go, and a word to the wise, get the Rated version, the Unrated version is not nearly as good as the original. Even if you have to get Full Screen, the rated, PG-13 version is much better.

Why you should watch "The Ex", previously named "Fast Track"? It's only originality comes from the disabled guy played by Jason Bateman and he is the villain of this comedy and the major responsible for the funny scenes of this movie. Besides that it's very forgettable.

Tom (Zach Braff) is the good guy, hard working, and living with his wife Sofia (Amanda Peet) until the day he's fired, moves to another town, lives in a new house close to Sofia's parents (Charles Grodin and Mia Farrow) and his a father now. Besides these usual up and down very showed in another comedies comes the fact that Tom gets a new job but he works with Chip (Bateman), a sarcastic and evil guy stuck in a wheelchair. Chip starts to act mean to Tom just because he's married with Sofia (she and Chip were cheerleaders in high school, great joke by the way). The good guy follows the strange and dark game played by Chip and also tries to harm Chip's life too. End of the story and all you can do is cheer for one of them.

This movie is funny but it's almost difficult to laugh to the politically incorrect theme. Maybe the writers didn't know how to improve more interesting things or some punchlines on the screen wasn't so funny as the ones written on paper. For instance the ones delivered by Charles Grodin. I mean, this film marks his return on the big screen after a strange disappearance of 12 years. This good actor was incredibly funny in films like "Midnight Run" and "Lonely Guy", and he's the only one who could really make a good pair with the dog "Beethoven" (he was on the 2 first films of the series). And here in "The Ex" he returns a lot older, unfunny and unlikeable with some very, very bad jokes, not a single joke was good (the one with the whales in his computer was boring to death). Or perhaps he lost his talent all these years away from movies? We'll never know.

While Zach Braff plays nice resembling the same character he plays on "Scrubs" (the pretty nice guy who everybody loves); and Grodin and Farrow were wasted; Bateman outstands with the most funniest villain ever made in a comedy film.

Decent comedy but not enough for a giant laugh! 7/10

What an utterly formulaic piece of garbage that wastes the talents of Zach Braff and Jason Bateman, two very funny guys on TV. There are some great supporting characters too and even they can't put lipstick on this pig. The directing is bad and the writing is just poor. Not a funny joke in the whole film! Usually a formulaic film can rise above average writing with great performances and great directing. This poor cast just had nothing to work with.

Amanda Peet is her usual bland, boring self, and she's the only one who belongs in this. Everyone else is wasted. It's a bummer.

Do not see this, even if you have the opportunity to see it for free. It's that much of a waste of time.

This movie, without any exceptions really, gets steadily worse and worse until the point it becomes simply tedious to watch and frankly insulting. The clichés rattle out thick and fast, the predictability is so straightforward you don't even feel good when you get it right 10 out of 10 times and the character decisions are so ridiculous you'd be let down if you saw them on a nickelodeon show for 5 year olds.

The saving grace is certainly Zach Braff, who we've learnt from Graden Sate and quite a few occasions in Scrubs, has a great ability to serious things up brilliantly whilst still having us consistently at fits at his antics and excellent line delivery. He can make the most straightforward line seem absolutely hilarious, Scriptwriters must love him. He has few chances to shine on this occasion but the chances he gets he ceases hole-heartedly. Amanda Peet and Jason Bateman were less than impressive and everyone else was just plain awful. It wasn't their fault mind you. They were given next to nothing to work realistically with.

It can be tricky with these sorts of movies to keep the humor up and the story believable so the odd slip up is more than excusable. But not to this extent and particularly not when it's not even that funny. Braff fans are the only ones who will benefit from this movie and even they may feel slightly let down. Everyone else would be well advised to avoid at all costs.

So I just see this online the other day. What can you say. It's an older film and the titles obvious for what you'd expect.

But it's Bateman, he's great at this type of thing and only got better.

So if you want a laugh right now. Then have a look.