Hollywood seems to assume that all you need to do to get people to watch your movie is to slap Judd Apatow's name to it. And they are right; they got me.
But to go in to this movie thinking you're seeing the next Superbad would be unwise. Outside of Owen Wilson, the cast is mainly no-names. Three high school freshman - a fat jewish kid who raps, a skinny nerd, and a third geek (McLovin, only much more hateable) - hire a bodyguard (Wilson) to protect them from a school bully, only Wilson is not actually a bodyguard. He's a homeless guy.
It seems like the recipe for oodles of comedy. Unfortunately, the script (co-written by Seth Rogen, who makes no appearance in the film) fails to deliver. The bully scenes are ridiculously far-fetched, not believable at all. Superbad, as crazy as it was, was still believable, and much easier to relate to. The film bombs for the first 40 minutes, finally picking up once Wilson becomes a fake teacher. But this is too little too late. There was a brief moment where I thought Leslie Mann's sluttiness as an english teacher could save the film, but after an hour of bombing jokes, a weak supporting cast, and no boobie action, I just gave up. There was no saving this movie. In retrospect, not even Leslie Mann's boobies could have saved this movie.
The lone bright spot was the little fat kid. He's going to be a star. If he becomes the next Jonah Hill, I will be disappointed. I'm thinking bigger. Fatter. I'm thinking Ralphie May meets Keenan Thompson. And, ah what the hell, maybe a little Jonah Hill.
This movie lacked jokes, plain and simple. Seth Rogen is talented, but the PG-13 rating stigma didn't give him enough leeway to do what he does best. The actors were talented, but I'm sure too young to be trusted with the art of improv, an Apatow staple in his other, much more successful, much funnier movies.
Save your $10. Or if you're deciding whether to watch it for free online, like I did, save your two hours. Do something fun, like not watching Drillbit Taylor.
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