Wanderlust is one of those hipster comedies that tries so hard not to be it, but eventually, it just accepts the truth and goes along with it. The thing that makes this movie work is Paul Rudd’s character, a calm, rational average guy who thinks like the rest of us. I thought a lot about whether I should recommend such a movie. However, I think that it’s so easygoing and mildly entertaining that you will like it.
As we get older and older, we start thinking more about that infamous carpe diem logic. The modern way of life sucks all the joy out of you and you rarely get those moments where you feel truly alive. I know this is a subject that often pops up in movies but that doesn’t make it any less potent. To counter this rather hedonistic world view we have the unjust and very real tribal system of values. But more about that later.
For now, let’s focus on the important stuff. Yes, there will be brief nudity here but nothing too major, and there will be some funny jokes. As someone who’s at the same time both against and for this type of hippie life, I enjoyed them poking fun at it. If you ever wondered what would happen if you joined a hippy community along with your girlfriend/wife this is what would probably happen. However, I think that Wonderlust would be much better off as some fucked up drama.
George and Linda Gergenblatt are living in the city, busy with their day-to-day boring survival. They both are working (or at least trying in Linda’s case), but they’re not rich and can barely make ends meet. After a bad financial decision, things get even worse and they find themselves in a pretty fucked up situation. Situation so bad that when they stumble upon a hippie commune, it seems like a good solution to join them.
Aniston and Rudd made Wanderlust worth watching. It’s as simple as that. They had great chemistry and knew how to approach the script. Rudd made another similar movie you might want to check out, Our Idiot Brother. It deals with similar issues but in reverse order. I would also like to bring your attention to the financial situation of this couple. The reason they ended up in the commune is that they ran out of money and practically became homeless.
More and more Americans and people all over the world suffer the same fate. The system says in this new and very rigged game of survival of the fittest you failed and thus you should be eliminated from our society. I guess the whole hippie thing is a way to counter that but that opens a whole new discussion.
Director: David Wain
Writers: David Wain, Ken Marino
Cast: Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux, Alan Alda, Malin Akerman, Joe Lo Truglio
Fun Facts: Despite being naked throughout the film, Joe Lo Truglio wore a prosthetic penis. Most of the cast ran up to him and touched it as a joke after showing up on set.
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IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655460/
