You know when you go to a movie and you really want to like the movie, but you end up wondering how the hell you can get the hours of your life back that you just wasted? Yes – that’s this movie. Why Him? is one of those movies that you want to love, but you wish that you were drunk enough (of course if you were over the age of 21) so that it could be a black out moment that you didn’t remember.
I’ve long loved Zoey Deutch as an actress, so I go and see all of her movies. And I am all about slapstick comedy, but Why Him seemed forced. Like it wanted you to laugh while trying to tell the cute tale of fathers learning to let go when their little girls grow up.
If you are looking for a crash course on how you can drop the f-bomb as many times as possible in 90 minutes, then Why Him? is for you.
I won’t tell you that it wasn’t funny. There were moments that I laughed. But laughter came far less than I would have liked in between lines and a plot that should have worked in theory, but the execution seemed forced, over acted and well… just plain boring.
Here’s the pros and the cons.
It’s got a heartwarming message – after you look past the comedy.
In the sense that every Disney Channel show has a message, so does this one. You don’t have to look far to find it – but it’s secondary to the forced physical comedy that this movie has in abundence. Both are really slapping you, but the heartwarming message is secondary.
Bryan Cranston and Megan Mullally are hilarious
Megan Mullally is someone you can’t ever look past. She steals every scene that she is in. She always has, but that’s one of the things that we love about her. She’s hilarious and the scene with her as high as a kite in their bedroom – was one of the few times that I laughed out loud.
Zoey Deutch has a more grown up presence on the screen.
Zoey Deutch isn’t just a teen actress anymore. Sure she can pass as one, but she’s growing up and making sure that you know that she is.
The physical comedy seems forced and overplayed.
We love comedy. Laughter is the best medicine and all of that. But the thing is – this movie tries to push it and the physical comedy feels forced. Like oh, this scene is boring, so lets toss in random fight and pass it off as training (cause you know a multi-millionaire wouldn’t hire a bodyguard) or a moose art thing breaking cause that makes sense.
Jokes fall flat.
The jokes are hidden behind the the extensive cussing that doesn’t seem to stop. Look, I cuss like a sailor, but adding the word fuck or asshole to something does not make it funny. One can convey things without having to say FUCK every other sentence.
The boring parts make you loose sight of the good parts.
There are quite a few moments in the movie that just don’t feel like they fit, but they were put there to fill up time. It’s like an oreo – good part, bad part, good part or bad part, good part, bad part (depending on if you like the cookie our the filling more.
Why Him? stars James Franco, Bryan Cranston, Megan Mullally, Zoey Deutch, Cedric the Entertainer, Griffin Gluck and Keegan-Michael Key and is in theaters now.
