Are we supposed to want these couples to get help? (which 75% of them needed.) On second thought, I don't even want to go there.
The movie keeps jerking you here and there like you're a ball on an elastic. Jason (Jason Bateman) misleads the other couples by saying therapy is optional at the retreat because he can't afford the trip by himself. But it's mandatory. From what we know of the characters so far, most would want a refund since none are the soul-searching type. Whatever they paid, a refund seems the most likely solution. (They can sue later for the airline fares.) But instead the other couples give in with little protest which strained credibility for me. What then, is their motivation now? Joey (Favreau) just wants to get off; Shane (Faison Love) wants to pretend he's young and also avoid the pain of his divorce; Dave and Ronnie (Vaughn and Akerman) go along because they're good sports. and Jason (Bateman) wants to control his wife. Are there some laughs here? Can we laugh if we OVERLOOK the inconsistencies? I did but only a little. Stanley the yoga teacher made me laugh even though he was very non yogi-like. The therapists were funny because they were right at times and then too aggressive and revealing at others. That wasn't so funny.
And when they start "Operation Eden East" the movie dies a slow death. Favreau just wants to get off with strange stuff and this motivates the whole party to follow along. Even if they find Trudy (Hawk) it's unlikely she'll return with them. She's an adult. Eden East is a fake temptation that they all drift towards so the audience can buy into the rapprochements at the end. (Oh those lost and immature single people.) The utmost in unbelievability was the surprise entrance of Faison's ex-wife. Nothing in the story laid any grounds for that surprise. Wouldn't Faison have known if she were even slightly ambivalent about the divorce? Someone writing the ending wanted to sew up every couple relationship no matter how unlikely it might fit the story as told so far.
Joey's makeup with Shane was also totally unbelievable. There was no groundwork for it. They hadn't so much as smiled at each other throughout the whole movie. I was really enjoying Cynthia's new freedom from control freak Jason until she caved in and gave him another chance. She needed to test his promise to change for about six months first. Instead she bought the farm after five minutes.
Believable and fun was the makeup between Vaugh and Akerman. They realized that they'd always been OK. But I'd seen too much BS by then.
One more thing: when you bang a gong you need to remove the hammer or it will prevent the gong from vibrating. The way it was in the film (leaving the hammer against the brass) would have produced a big thud. Like the movie, in fact
The movie keeps jerking you here and there like you're a ball on an elastic. Jason (Jason Bateman) misleads the other couples by saying therapy is optional at the retreat because he can't afford the trip by himself. But it's mandatory. From what we know of the characters so far, most would want a refund since none are the soul-searching type. Whatever they paid, a refund seems the most likely solution. (They can sue later for the airline fares.) But instead the other couples give in with little protest which strained credibility for me. What then, is their motivation now? Joey (Favreau) just wants to get off; Shane (Faison Love) wants to pretend he's young and also avoid the pain of his divorce; Dave and Ronnie (Vaughn and Akerman) go along because they're good sports. and Jason (Bateman) wants to control his wife. Are there some laughs here? Can we laugh if we OVERLOOK the inconsistencies? I did but only a little. Stanley the yoga teacher made me laugh even though he was very non yogi-like. The therapists were funny because they were right at times and then too aggressive and revealing at others. That wasn't so funny.
And when they start "Operation Eden East" the movie dies a slow death. Favreau just wants to get off with strange stuff and this motivates the whole party to follow along. Even if they find Trudy (Hawk) it's unlikely she'll return with them. She's an adult. Eden East is a fake temptation that they all drift towards so the audience can buy into the rapprochements at the end. (Oh those lost and immature single people.) The utmost in unbelievability was the surprise entrance of Faison's ex-wife. Nothing in the story laid any grounds for that surprise. Wouldn't Faison have known if she were even slightly ambivalent about the divorce? Someone writing the ending wanted to sew up every couple relationship no matter how unlikely it might fit the story as told so far.
Joey's makeup with Shane was also totally unbelievable. There was no groundwork for it. They hadn't so much as smiled at each other throughout the whole movie. I was really enjoying Cynthia's new freedom from control freak Jason until she caved in and gave him another chance. She needed to test his promise to change for about six months first. Instead she bought the farm after five minutes.
Believable and fun was the makeup between Vaugh and Akerman. They realized that they'd always been OK. But I'd seen too much BS by then.
One more thing: when you bang a gong you need to remove the hammer or it will prevent the gong from vibrating. The way it was in the film (leaving the hammer against the brass) would have produced a big thud. Like the movie, in fact