Wanderlust
It only occurred to me just as I was beginning to write this review that this is a reunion for Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd. I’m not talking about Rudd’s stint on “Friends” near the end of that show’s run, but the 1998 comedy-drama “The Object of My Affection.” The story of a single mother-to-be who finds a sympathetic roommate (and possible soulmate) in a gay man, that film remains one of the best films either actor has been a part of, and has a truly effortless chemistry between Rudd and Aniston.
That chemistry bounces off the screen once again in “Wanderlust,” an absurd (and absurdly funny) comedy from the writing team of David Wain and Ken Marino (with Wain directing), who previously collaborated with Rudd on “Role Models,” “The Ten,” and the cult favorite “Wet Hot American Summer.” Here, Rudd plays George, a New York businessman who finds himself unexpectedly out of a job just as his wife, Linda (Aniston), has trouble pitching a documentary about penguins to HBO (needless to say, her “Inconvenient Truth”-meets-“March of the Penguins” conceit fails to impress). Since they’ve just bought a new leased a new apartment together, their financial troubles are compounded, so they are forced to go live with George’s jerk-off of a brother in Atlanta. On the road, they come across a rural commune to spend the night at, and to their surprise, they find the experience a soothing change-of-pace. Therefore, for two weeks, they decide to live with this odd assortment of characters, and see if this is a lifestyle they can settle down in, or at least, lead to a level of peace within themselves.
If you’ve watched any of Wain and Marino’s previous films, you’re probably aware of how much of a tonal shift their comedic work is from other filmmakers; in particular, the Judd Apatow gang. Their work can be just as raunchy, but drier and more subdued in its delivery, which isn’t really a bad thing when so many comedies try and ramp up the pace and almost beat one over the head with laughs. That works to the advantage of not just the overall film (which feels more controlled, and fully-formed), but the actors within the film. Aniston and Rudd thrive in these roles, which isn’t much of a surprise for anyone familiar with their strongest work (“Affection,” “Office Space,” “Horrible Bosses,” and “The Good Girl” for Aniston, and “Affection,” “Knocked Up,” “I Love You, Man,” and “How Do You Know” for Rudd), and they work beautifully with everyone from Alan Alda to Malin Akerman; from Justin Theroux to Joe Lo Truglio (as the nudist novelist, Wayne); and from Kathryn Hahn to Lauren Ambrose, all of whom provide weird, wicked laughs may take a while to register, but nonetheless hit the mark. Really, can you ask for more in a comedy? Well, since this one is set at a commune where “free love” is the norm, a little more female nudity would have been nice, but the lack there-of didn’t dampen my enjoyment of this film.
