Slow Learners

The film starts off amiably enough, setting up its two lead characters to be mostly likable in an awkward, gangly, vulnerable way. The story hinges on the efforts by the two leads to change their lives and themselves. In the process of trying, the characters (especially the girl) become so unpleasant that they squander all the viewer sympathy built up earlier. In movies like this, you know how the two characters are going to wind up; you watch it just to see how they eventually get there. But by the time these two get there, you really don't feel like they deserve a happy ending. The outtakes in the closing credits are funnier than the last two-thirds of the film.

Casting was wonderful for the mains to the bits. Writing was good to tolerable, but the directors lost the cast. I think based on direction and editing, the directors lost control of the movie making process, and stitched together the wrong part of this movie to create a strong Rom Com. This movie appeared under-funded and wandering like a bad Mel Brooks joke of lost Moses.

These directors failed to stop the car and ask for direction - the cast was stronger than they were and they failed to bring this back with good editing. WHat a waste of a budget, waste of a great cast that could have done more work together, and mostly, what a waste of a fantastic casting director. I've even watched this twice to try to throw the director(s) a bone - they need to stick to documentaries where the story tells the story.

Watch 25 min then go straight to the outtakes - this was embarrassing.

Well Slow Learners is what it is. A rom-com. I wasn't bored or so. It had some silly funny moments but also some boring yawning stuff. But for somebody that like romantic comedies it might be fun to watch. I am not one of those guys so to me it's just okay to watch once. There were a couple situations I had to laugh with but it's just not good enough to me to be remembered in the long haul. The actors are not bad though. They are funny at moments. But it's just the story. It doesn't get me thrilled. I watched it once and that's it for me. I won't watch it again. I don't regret watching it though. I just prefer other comedies then romantic ones.

Watch the first half of this movie and you, with any luck, will think it's seriously underrated. It's a witty script and there are some laugh out loud moments - ok, so I'd had a beer, but there are some great lines and situations.

However, the conceit for the transition into the middle part of the story is not really believable which renders the rest of the movie less believable. It's to do with character transformation although, I guess, if you accept 'arsehole' as an inevitable male transform it may work for you.

But once that's resolved, the movie ends as you'd totally expect it to end right from the first few frames so no real surprises. The joy is in the journey but, sadly, it loses the path of cleverness oit lays in the first half.

Sadly, a widely missed opportunity although I'd recommend it for the first half alone.

This film starts as a perfectly decent indie romcom, but somewhere in the middle it loses its way and becomes pretty terrible. For the second night in a row, I chose a movie based solely on Adam Pally's presence. He is, as always, quite good. His partner in crime here is Sarah Burns. I like Burns (mostly from the show Enlightened), but she and her character are mostly what's wrong with this film. She starts off quite well, but over the course of the film she becomes an insufferable jerk. The plot involves these two as dorky losers who work together at a high school. When summer starts, they decide they have to become cool to find love. They are both successful, but Burns becomes insanely jealous of Pally and goes crazy. Much of the problem is with the script, but Burns plays it all quite terribly and loudly. We know these two will end up together, but I spent half the film hoping like Hell Pally would realize Burns is a total psycho and keep his distance. The film has some good scenes and a few nice laughs, mostly in its first half. The strongest scenes involve Gil Ozeri and Bobby Moynihan as two nerdy brothers who are in a book club with Pally. I'd love to see a movie about these two.