RBR:Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

While few people saw it in theaters, many critics seemed to be charmed by this apocalyptic romantic comedy starring Steve Carrell and Keira Knightly as two lost souls who bond in the planet's last few days. While both leads can be very likeable, I failed to see what enchanted so many other reviewers. The opening part of the film is its strongest. While disturbing at times, it gives a bleak, yet fascinating look at how people would react if there was definitive proof that the planet would be gone in a matter of weeks. Once the main protagonists are suitably introduced the film veers off track as it struggles to find a tonal balance. You get scenes featuring cameos from people like Patton Oswalt and Rob Corddry that are meant for laughs but fall flat. But then you're also supposed to buy into a relationship between Carrell and Knightly that just never worked for me. Sitting through their journey, I was actively wishing for the asteroid to just hit already and put everyone out of their misery. I can appreciate attempts to blend genres, but this is an experiment that just goes horribly wrong. Given that it was written by the same person who wrote the insufferable Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, it's not that surprising that I didn't care for this. If our world is going to end, I wholeheartedly recommend that you don't waste your precious last few hours watching this. Rating: * 1/2

RBR: The Five-Year Engagement

Some pairs just seem like a match made in heaven. But as we all know, looks can be deceiving. This is true for the characters in The Five-Year Engagement. Tom (Jason Segal) and Violet (Emily Blunt), are a couple who seem to be deeply in love at their engagement and yet struggle to actually tie the knot. This idea is also applicable to the film itself - a movie that has a great cast and setup and yet can't turn that into something successful. This is certainly through no fault of the casting. Segal is his usual doughy, loveable self and Blunt is consistently charming (As a side note, she is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses who has shown tremendous range in her past few roles). Rather, this movie commits a few of my 'mortal sins' when it comes to filmmaking. One of them is the reliance on cliched characters. I mean how many times do we have to see the 'lecherous older male professor' character. Maybe given my profession, I'm more sensitive to this cliche than others, but it just felt unoriginal and you knew every beat to that character's story arc. The other sin committed here is poor communication. I had expected this film to be about a series of events that conspire against the film's leads, preventing them from getting hitched. Instead, there's really on one primary issue here and it could have been resolved or dealt with in much more succinct manner. It should not have taken five years to arrive at the resolution they come to by the movie's end. It's feels more like a six months to a year issue at best. And while the timeline in the film doesn't feel very long, watching the film feels like five years of the viewers' time has passed. More time was needed in the editing room for this film. Somewhere buried inside is a good film. The cast and everyone else involved is too talented to turn in an effort like this. As it stands, this comes off as a disappointment. Rating: ** 1/2

RBR: What's Your Number

I really like Anna Faris and think she's talented, which makes it so frustrating to see her get attached to one crummy movie after the next. If only she could have a Bridesmaides-esque in which she could truly shine. What's Your Number is yet another familiar rom-com that makes the viewers go through one emotional hoop after another until it finally reaches its obvious conclusion. This time is centers around Ally, (Faris) who puts way too much stock in a magazine article which makes the claim that women who sleep with more than 20 men never find one to marry. Nearing the number herself, Ally begins revisiting past lovers in hopes of finding her perfect match. Credit the casting department for bringing on some funny guys like Joel McHale, Andy Samberg, and Thomas Lennon as some of her beaus, but their comedic talents are wasted here. Oddly enough, a lot of their best scenes were seen in the advertising for the film, yet not included in the film itself. Helping her in her quest is her lothario neighbor Colin (Chris Evans). Evans offers zero on-screen charisma despite the fact that the film attempts to present him as the perfect guy for her. The film offers a few chuckles but is largely a disappointment given the number of funny people here in this movie. Let's just hope for Anna Faris' sake that it will take less than 20 terrible films before she finds the one that will make her a star. Rating: **