With rampant unemployment and the recession dragging on into its fourth year now, perhaps there's some married couples today who've thought about drastically changing their lifestyle like Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston do in the new comedy Wanderlust.
If only living with a bunch of carefree hippies in a commune could be so stress-free. All of the laughs—and there are plenty in Wanderlust—come from these two urban dwellers not just being challenged by things like lack of privacy, no possessions, and free love, but actually trying really hard to accept them.
David Wain, who also directed Role Models, gives Aniston, Rudd, and a talented supporting cast of very funny comedians enough room to make the most out of each situation, and Rudd especially is up to it. Whether it’s deadpan humor or relentless mugging, Rudd has never been funnier, and the film lets him go for broke on more than one occasion with hilarious results.
Don’t get me wrong: Wanderlust doesn’t hold together as a convincing character-driven romantic comedy—in fact, sometimes the story gets in the way of the film’s offbeat and loony sense of humor. Simply put, Wanderlust is unkempt and gnarly, kind of like the hippie lifestyle that it alternately makes fun of and embraces.
