Are You Here

After being disappointed recently by the big budget "Sex Tape" and "Neighbors" I was delighted to watch this little gem. I am not a big fan of Zach G. but found him enjoyable along with the rest of the cast. This is not a movie to over think as many critics have done. While none of the stars stretched themselves from their familiar former roles they seemed very comfortable and believable as family and friends dealing with a difficult time. Just because it doesn't have a lot of LOL moments and has some conflict, doesn't mean it is not a comedy. I smiled throughout it and felt good at the end which is what a comedy should accomplish.

When ben's dad dies, he and best friend, fellow slacker steve take a road trip back to ben's hometown for the funeral. Now come the usual family confrontations, when everyone's emotions are running crazy. Stars galifianakis and wilson. Steve is a weather man, which seems to symbolize things in conversation now and then. Amy poehler is ben's sister, angry at how the inheritance will be distributed. So the family goes to court! This plot, or similar ones, have been done numerous times over the years in films; and usually, when the court case is decided, people have learned lessons they didn't intend to learn. Will that happen here? Can the family members hold together as a family? When i saw wilson listed in the cast, i expected a comedy, but he's quite (unusually) multi-dimensional in this one. A small role for director peter bogdanovich and edward hermann. Written and directed by matthew weiner, who also produced mad men and sopranos. It's predictable, but it's pretty good. It rides a fine line between drama and comedy, even with such a serious subject matter.

I found this movie leaving a bad taste in my mouth... It started out as a typical 'Zach stoned out of his mind funny' type of thing, and turned into it trying to teach me something about mental illness, but doing it in the poorest way possible.

Also, just a side note, I think it is the first time I have ever seen Owen Wilson pick up a stoner role. That's just me. I found it weird watching him smoke up on the couch watching cartoons.

It was amusing for the first while, but it ended with a 'what the hell did I just watch' feeling.

They introduced mental illness into the story line, a reason for Zach being nuts, and they solved it basically by getting him to shave his beard off. Now, I understand that that shows a drastic change, but they didn't follow it with anything.. Just watch it, it'll make you mad as well.

Overall, not really worth the two hours unless you have nothing better to watch. Or if you absolutely love Zach (however you spell his last name) or Owen Wilson, and are dedicated to watching everything they put out.

Steve Dallas (Owen Wilson) is a local TV weather reporter. He smokes weed with his slacker friend Ben Baker (Zach Galifianakis) who lives in a rundown trailer and has a philosophy of balance with nature. Ben's dad dies and Steve drives him home. Terri Coulter (Amy Poehler) is Ben's bossy sister. Angela (Laura Ramsey) is their hippie stepmother. Terri is given $350k and the rest of the property totaling some $2.5 million to Ben. It puts Ben into a tailspin until he comes up with an idea. Then Terri challenges the Will.

The material keeps trying and certainly Zach gives it his all. This is simply not funny. Writer/director Matthew Weiner is famous for some terrific TV work. Most of this falls flat. It's hard to put a finger on a single cause of this. The jokes are not sharp enough. The directions aren't there. There is something off about the chemistry between Owen, Zach and Angela. Owen is playing a ladies man but the movie starts with him being a horrible date. These weed smoking characters are not nearly funny enough. The four main characters just make me scratch my head. Amy Poehler is almost funny a couple of time. Laura Ramsey struggles to stay in the picture with her costars. Owen has a great moment about his friendship and then the movie turns it on his head. Just when this movie seems to climb out of a hole, it digs an even deeper one. With the talents in the picture, this should be so much funnier.

"I'm talking about fundamental changes to society. I'm not hungry, I have a mission statement to write." Steve (Wilson) and Ben (Galifianakis) have been best friends since they were kids. Ben is his own person and has a hard time fitting into the world. Steve is a weather man who spends his time drinking and getting high. When Ben's father dies the two head back to their hometown for the funeral and when the will is read the bulk of the estate goes to Ben. His sister isn't happy about it but Steve sees a reward coming. Going in to this I was expecting a comedy. The preview makes it seem that way but even if you haven't seen the preview the cast would suggest it. I did like this movie and I think it's worth watching but this is not a typical comedy. There are some funny parts in this but for the most part it is a little depressing. Galifianakis is a perfect choice for this and the role really fits him. On the other hand Owen Wilson plays the same guy he usually does and that kind of detracts from the movie a little. This is a movie I would say is worth seeing though but do not expect a full on comedy. Overall, a movie that is good and worth seeing but not really all that funny. I give it a B.