The ExThe pratfalls of yuppiedum May 17,
2007 5:41:00 PM
VIDEO: Watch the trailer for The Ex.
|
The premise here is flawed. Chip, an asshole in a wheelchair (cleverly played by Jason Bateman), is supposed to be the ex-boyfriend of Sofia (Amanda Peet), an ambitious lawyer turned full-time mom. Workplace pandemonium breaks out when Sofia’s hapless husband, Tom (Zach Braff), becomes Chip’s new underling at a flaky new-age ad agency. One big problem: Chip isn’t really “the Ex,” as the title so baldly declares, and neither does he ever get close to bedding his former cheerleading partner. The oversight hints at a split between creative and marketing. Director Jesse Peretz (former bassist for Boston alt-rock legends the Lemonheads) is interested in sophisticated laughs about the pratfalls of yuppiedom; the producers want a Farrelly brothers knockoff. The result is a pleasing and forgettable muddle with a surplus of disappointing cameos. Why they didn’t stick with the original title, Fast Track, is a mystery.
|
|
|
- How Stepford politics rule Beacon Hill
- Some Things at Trinity
- Never mind its tough-girl alt-porn feminism: SuicideGirls has already moved on to a new generation
- Boston TV kills A&E coverage
- In honor of National Boss Day, thePhoenix.com presents the ultimate kingpins
- If you want to lose the ‘fright wig,’ try ditching your shampoo
- How Stepford politics rule Beacon Hill
- What is driving the widespread movement pressuring Hillary to drop out, even though she is very much still in the race?
- Our correspondent takes a walk on the Wildlife-Removal side.
- Courage vs. abuse
- You thought maggot therapy was bad?
- Reverend Wright tarnished Obama’s image as America’s anointed savior
|
-
Repackaged stereotypes
-
Hard to knock it
-
Simplified Runner not up to speed
-
Incompetent Jessica Alba
-
An uncalled-for sequel
-
Increasingly silly skits
|
- A copycat cop movie
- Vegetation and gore
- As expected, smart supporting characters
- Audrey Tautou goes slumming in Hors de prix
- Ubiquitous Abigail Breslin in a mildly diverting adventure
- A plucky play that takes its eyes off the ball
- Exploring the modern female life
- An astonishingly unpredictable ending
- A plot centered around one man's penis
- Poetic Americana
|
|
|
|