Having last delivered Role Models in 2008, it’s been a long wait for the next film from sketch comedy master David Wain. Wanderlust marks a first collaboration with producer Judd Apatow and yet another pairing with Paul Rudd, allowing the director to continue his oddball brand of improvisational comedy with an ensemble of offbeat characters. While Wain’s last feature placed him in contemporary culture, his latest comedy goes back to the free-spirited days of Wet Hot American Summer.
Rudd co-stars with Jennifer Aniston (continuing on the R-rated comedy road after last year’s Horrible Bosses) as a couple who’ve just bought an expensive West Village mini-loft (a.k.a. a tiny studio apartment). Both of their job prospects hit a dead end soon after the purchase, forcing them to move out. Presumably, the only family member left is Rudd’s brother (Ken Marino), so they head to his Atlanta home to regroup. During the middle of this long trek, they stop at the mysterious Elysium Bed & Breakfast. Revealed to be a commune, the real adventure kicks in as they decide to spend more time than expected at the hippie haven.
Throughout his career, Wain has shown skill by continually creating an ensemble of peculiar characters with particular eccentricities. With a premise and cast like this one, the director is in comedy heaven. Whether it is Joe Lo Truglio (Superbad) as a wine-making, novel-writing nudist, Kerri Kenney-Silver (Reno 911!) as a deadpan hippie who isn’t afraid to say what crosses her mind, or Kathryn Hahn (Step Brothers) delivering her flawless, unexpected reactions, this is a stellar team clearly having fun.
But it is long-time collaborator and Wanderlust co-writer Marino who steals the show here. Although he never shows up at Elysium, he nails the spiteful older brother whose destroyed his marriage and created a son that mirrors his despicable actions. It sounds like something from a dark Oscar drama, but the guy’s endearing style and perfect comedic timing make all of his angry actions hilarious. I was left in stitches as he gets in an argument with Rudd at breakfast and proceeds to pick up his plate and smash it, or when he tries to fault his wife (Michaela Watkins) for his cheating behavior.
As with all of Wain’s projects, he throws everything he’s got at the screen and it mostly lands. While rarely feeling bloated like some of Apatow’s other work, the quick pacing helps to keep the story moving, even if a few pit stops are taken. Extended jokes — like Rudd working himself up in front of a camera before a “free love” session with Malin Akerman, or a poorly-executed, half-baked scene featuring a runaway car — could have been reworked. But left field references, such as the Nintendo Power Glove and bizarre placenta jokes prove that Wain hasn’t made a film for broad audiences. And, like his others, one which will plausibly stand the test of time.
As the leads, Rudd and Aniston are mostly at the end of jokes as they play off the set of characters. They do it well, but Aniston still lacks that funny bone that her counterpart exudes; one look from the affable Rudd and it is easy to see why he has a firm place in today’s comedy scene. As they get involved in marriage-straining subplots and generic government-taking-over-the-land scheme, one wishes Wain stepped a bit outside the box, since we’ve see this all done before.
With an offbeat, relaxed style akin to a late ’80s or early ’90s comedy, Wanderlust may not connect on every joke, but Wain further proves that he’s a master at taking the wacky and injecting enough charm for a thoroughly good time. As predictable as the structure is, this is a film that relies on all the tiny pieces that make it up and, with that, Wanderlust is a promising start to the year in comedy.
Wanderlust is now in wide release.