They Came Together

A small business owner (Amy Poehler) is about to lose her shop to a major corporate development.

This film seems to get a bad rap, with people saying it is not a good satire or parody. I respectfully, and strongly, disagree. So many movie conventions are turned on their head. Obviously, the traditional romantic comedy blueprint, but even more than that. And some moments had me laughing out loud (literally).

Although "Wet Hot American Summer" is considered a modern classic by some, I think "They Came Together" is the superior film. It's more mature, more consistent. Maybe it will take a few years, but I see this becoming a cult film.

If you like silly jokes and absurd gags, of the type of Leslie Nielsen movies, you will love this movie.

For a movie that has a ton of very funny people, this is not a very funny film. The filmmaker seems to think repeating the clichés of a RomCom and winking sidelong at the audience makes the old clichés funny but really it doesn't. They're still tired and worn out clichés that make this difficult to sit through without getting bored. That is not good satire! I agree, it's difficult to send up a genre: Airplane and Galaxy Quest can't be made everyday. But I feel like this film is more in the same vein as the nth Scary Movie or Not Another Teen Movie: not worth the time to watch them. It's too bad because a lot of good talent goes to waste here.

It's odd how our favourite TV star's movies slip right under the radar. You'd think the cast of Saturday Night Live and Paul Rudd's star power would be enough to gain some traction. Either way, they're having fun here in what seems to be a movie-length sketch. You have to know the comedy that they have in mind here. They Came Together is a satire, on the brink of a parody movie, but a clever take on rom-com conventions. They perpetuate them, sprinkling vulgarity in the sickly sweet clichés. It's an often hilarious film, although frequently misfires with jokes that aren't measured in the same way as the rest of the film. They're funny, but they don't make you laugh. Sometimes it spoils it with absurd moments of fantasy and it becomes the melodrama that it's pretending to be, but for the most part, it's a joy to watch a handful of your favourite comedians riff of each other and deconstruct the clichés they so often have to utilise when they get a chance on the silver screen. Killer cameos too. Worth watching if you're a Poehler or Rudd fan. Certainly beats David Wain's dire Role Models anyway.

7/10

I love a good parody. This was definitely a parody. I can't say for sure if it was a good one. All of my favorite actors are in this movie. Every other scene, a new random actor pops in and pops back out. Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler are amazing, per usual. This is the first time I've seen Jason Mantzoukas play a character that wasn't clinically insane. All of the elements for greatness are there, and yet it's still only mediocre. I think if you go into it with your expectations low, you'll be pleasantly surprised. If you go in expecting greatness because of the cast list, you'll probably be a little disappointed. Still worth a watch.