Marc Pease Experience
Itâs remarkable sometimes how a big budget studio movie can be made featuring major stars, but yet mostly because the studio bosses realized what a stinker it is, winds up burying it in limited release before sending it directly onto DVD. Thus is the case with this production, shot on location here in Wilmington, NC (and featuring a prominent cameo by the father of yours truly). Jason Schwartzman, reviled by this viewer for his nauseatingly overrated turn in Rushmore, stars as essentially a 26 year old version of the previous character, an overgrown loser and limo driver living in the past still clinging to the dream of landing a recording deal for the (very bad) acapella group that he first formed in high school, on top of also dating an 18 year old high school senior. This dynamic raises the first red flag, as that aspect of the story is completely glossed over by the screenplay, no matter how twisted and inappropriate it might seem for movie audiences, right down to briefly showing Schwartzman helping out her dad around the house when itâs obvious that he hasnât taught his little girl much in the way of responsibility or morality, made even worse by the fact that this teenager is ALSO having a sexual relationship with her middle aged high school music teacher played by Ben Stiller. Whatâs especially insulting is that the girl (played by Oscar nominee and Twilight star Anna Kendrick) is written and acted to be this sweet, innocent, virtuous type instead of the emotionally disturbed and insecure young lady that she obviously is, and it helps to lend a rather unsavory, repugnant feel to the whole enterprise. The plot involves Schwartzmanâs obsession over the course of a single day trying to make contact with the Stiller character in order to tell him that he is selling his condo so that he can have the money to make a demo tape for his group, and wants Stiller to coach and produce it, based on an offhand promise that Stiller made to him many years ago in high school. Unfortunately for Schwartzman, Stiller is preoccupied at the time with the impending opening night for his high school musical of The Wiz, which leads to him literally dragging Stiller out of the auditorium during his own show so that he can tell him the âgood newsâ. If this doesnât sound like much of a story, rest assured that is the case as the screenplay stumbles over the idea that Stiller is basically the âbad guy rivalâ and that Schwartzman is the âheroâ of the story, when in actuality Stiller is more of an anal-retentive type trying to do the best job possible and even manages to get some amusing lines in his trademark style, while Schwartzman is an embarrassing fool who refuses to grow up and thankfully has Stiller give him some âstraight talkâ at the end about moving on with his life, which Schwartzman responds badly to much like he did in his Rushmore performance. Really one canât imagine how the pitch meeting for this story ever made it sound like it was something that could work as anything other than a depressing, alienating black comedy, with really only two moments in the film that brought out laughter: when Schwartzman is picking up two teens in his limo for their prom date and the guy insists that Schwartzman bow to him for a picture being taken, and when Schwartzman and Stiller get into a slap fight at the end that results in the two of them on their back kicking at each other like a couple of little girls. The filmâs underlying thematic element of learning to grow up and move on from your high school life is the one positive thing director Todd Louiso can squeeze out of the material, with a mildly moving climax of Schwartzman stepping in at the last minute during the play to take over for an actor whoâs been injured. Overall, for die hard fans of its two stars ONLY, and even that might not be enough incentiveâŚ
5/10