Similar to the 2001 film “Wet Hot American Summer,” which was likewise written and directed by David Wain, “Wanderlust” (now on DVD) will probably end up being a cult classic. But, while it made me giggle a few times, it’s not the riotous laugh-fest you might expect considering that Judd Apatow is a producer and Paul Rudd stars.
Rudd and Jennifer Aniston play George and Linda, a big-city couple trapped in the modern capitalist world where they do what they think they’re supposed to do. They buy an apartment in New York City, but both immediately lose their jobs, and because they can’t sell the apartment for as much as they paid for it, they are broke.
Staying in Atlanta with George’s brother, Rick, is the first backup plan. As Rick, Ken Marino (“Veronica Mars”), who co-wrote the film with Wain, plays a spot-on jerk in scenes that bluntly illustrate the sometimes crass capitalist world. Rick earned his fortune renting portable toilets to construction sites, but despite his riches, his daily life is bereft of meaning and his wife rightly hates his guts for being a serial adulterer.
Contrasting that is Elysium, a commune (or “intentional community”) that George and Linda stumble upon in rural Georgia. (Of course, the nudist is the first person they meet.) A lot of culture clash comedy comes from this setting, and there’s a solid supporting cast of hippies, including Alan Alda as the elder statesman, Justin Theroux as the bearded guy with eyes for Linda, Malin Akerman as the sexpot and Kathryn Hahn as pretty much the same hippie character she played in “Our Idiot Brother,” a similarly themed but superior Rudd comedy from 2011.
Some scenes are effective bits of commentary on modern society and some are laugh-out-loud funny, but too many fall flat. Although it’s an intelligent film, “Wanderlust’s” relatively low comedy batting average is why I can’t totally recommend it. There is at least one gem, though: Looking into a mirror, Rudd nails a long impromptu monologue where he tries to psyche himself up to have sex with Akerman. In the outtakes during the closing credits, he laughs and says “I’m grossing myself out!”
Wain and Marino pepper the script with little throwaway gags. For example, a newscast covering the commune’s battle with corporate land-grubbers ends with the female anchor’s male cohorts delivering increasingly inappropriate end-of-newscast barbs about how they wouldn’t mind if she protested corporatism by going topless. It’s funny, certainly, but it also throws off the tone of the film because, mostly, the actors play things straight and let the situation provide the comedy.
All told, “Wanderlust” leaves a throw-it-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks impression. It’s likable, certainly, with Rudd and Aniston as the main characters, and funny in spots. But, overall, this film — much like “Wet Hot American Summer” — isn’t as good as it should’ve been considering the premise. I’m sure it’ll develop a cult following, but I’m hesitant to join.