George (Paul Rudd) and Linda (Jennifer Aniston) are a struggling New York 30-something couple.
She’s occupationally flighty and he’s recently fired from his valueless corporate job.
Needing a fresh start and unable to afford living in New York, the couple decide to temporarily relocate to the only place available.
En route to George’s incredibly annoying brother’s house, the pair accidentally stumble upon a hippy commune (sorry, “Intentional Community”) founded by acid burnout Carvin (Alan Alda) in 1971.
Elysium is a place of sharing, caring, free love and, of course, bongo playing.
Fed up with his brother’s ridiculous attitude, a caricature of everything that’s wrong with modern life, George and Linda decide to return to Elysium for two weeks, to test the bong waters, as it were. By the end of those two weeks, straitlaced yet impressionable Linda wants to stay, while open and fun loving George wants to move on.
Becoming permanent residents, the couple must come to terms with a new lifestyle, the different, often strange foibles of the other residents, and sheep going through their suitcase.
It sounds like an opportunity for comedic gold, but is it?
We say, “See it if you like Paul Rudd movies, because this one is the same as all the rest of them.”
HOWE: With its two big stars, Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston, I was expecting laughs. I sat there and sat there and didn’t get them. Oh wait, I think I did chuckle once.
TAYLOR: The first big laugh in the film occurred near the beginning, at the sight of the first of many unsheathed males. However, although the biggest laughs seemed to be penis related, they dissipated as the movie played out. This movie, although somewhat funny, was definitely low on the cleverness scale.
HOWE: I’ve flushed cleverer things down the toilet. This is a movie for kids that is not for kids, so who is this movie made for? People who like crude, gross, uncomfortable, situational humor.
TAYLOR: I agree, but it’s a Paul Rudd film to a T. It’s a shame really, ‘cause I like Paul. I’d like to see him do something smarter. I enjoyed I Love You Man and even Role Models. Hopefully this is the last of his “shock humour” films, because it’s kind of the same jokes over again. I’m also confused about what it takes for a movie to be rated R in this country. I noticed a family there with a girl who looked 12 years old. She’s now well introduced to the male anatomy. I bet her parents had some explaining to do.
–– HOWE gives Wanderlust 1.5 micro lofts out of 5
–– TAYLOR gives it 2 money shots out of 5.
The film is currently screening at the Galaxy Cinemas in Vernon.
