Bachelorette (2012)

Really hard to enjoy, thanks to unlikeable main characters, uninteresting hijinks, and distasteful attempts at humour. It seems to be a problem in tone management though, because underneath its sickening candy comedy shell is a rather intriguing web of dark character drama (see the eating disorder cover-up, drug addiction, and tale of a suicide attempt). The overdose to ambulance ride sequence feels like it finds the right groove but it’s overshadowed by a shallow shrug-it-off ending.

3

Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2015)

When Lou finds himself in trouble, Nick and Jacob fire up the hot tub time machine in an attempt to get back to the past. But they inadvertently land in the future with Adam Jr. Now they have to alter the future in order to save the past – which is really the present. (IMDb)

Extremely crude and sexist party/drugs/sex schtick dominates this film, and it’s way too over the line to ever be funny (only Adam Jr.’s wedding planning ever gets laughs) and despite the ongoing “Lou’s an asshole” thread and a couple of very surprising bits of serious character work (see Lou’s humble self-awareness on the roof, AA idea at the end) it’s not justified from a dramatic point of view either–especially considering how they null it all in the end anyways for a mediocre comedy bit.

5.5/10 (Poor)

 

Step Brothers (2008)

Two aimless middle-aged losers still living at home are forced against their will to become roommates when their parents marry. (IMDb)

Way over-the-top? Yes. But the adult-child antics of Ferrell and Reilly are never anything less than laugh-out-loud hilarious (and the final act in which they suppress then re-capture their spunk for life brings it down to earth in moving fashion), whether they’re having meltdowns at the dinner table or naively starting international corporations. A great supporting cast of characters (sympathetic mom, short-fused dad, douche-y and successful brother) rounds out the story and the humour nicely.

8/10 (Great)