Reviews

"Sometimes you have to learn to fail to grow." "Well, you didn't fail. I mean, that's a B. And your grade won't be compromised with a 105 average."

Surprisingly charming and a film I wish was around when I was a teenager. Yeah, it's a little preachy but the fact that no other teen comedies focused on sex take the time to fully analyze themes like this has convinced me to overlook that.

I forgot Jake Short existed until I saw his face and it was like every single episode of ANT Farm flashed before my eyes. He's witty and engaging and probably gives one of the better performances in the film, besides the trio of Moms- including Fortune Feimster and Margaret Cho as divorced co-parents. Lead Mika Abdalla was good as well, but some of the more subtle traits of her character got lost along the way.

By far the biggest surprise is the direction. Talia Osteen really did a good job in making this C-level teen comedy- VERY reminiscent of the early 2000s- stand out in style and heart. The writing could have used some editing, but overall this could have been a roaring dumpster fire and I actually didn't mind it!

If you told me the writer of Jennifer's Body also wrote my first ever favorite movie...yeah I'd believe you. There's just something about the wit and the sincerity that you don't get in movies like these. Jesus, it's that good.

A guilty pleasure. You can tell Sam Levinson was toying around with themes present in Euphoria here, albeit in a more bombastic/hyperbolic style if you can even imagine.

A great episode that pushes back on the hate the show generally gets (i.e. Too flashy, glamorizes alcohol and sex and drugs). Sam Levinson is a wizard when it comes to dialogue- that's my biggest takeaway.

I am not a huge fan of blockbuster comedies. Half the time the script is sloppy and the final edit ruins the delivery of the best jokes- two things that are painfully present for the first half of this film. However, none of it is glaring and can be overlooked. But if you are a stickler for effortless and seamless storytelling then I have a suspicion you'll turn this off in the first thirty minutes. No matter what, you'll laugh. The humor is clever and the two leads, Ferrell and McAdams, are incredible together, with the latter delivering a nuanced, believable, over-the-top character that Ferrell struggles to land every now and then on his end. The ending satisfyingly ties together the loose ends from the first half with surprising emotional weight- I won't lie I teared up but that's to be expected. Ideal for families with mature kids, middle school and up, and for any fan of comedies. Lastly, it was refreshing to see a foreign-set comedy that equally laid into the United States, especially when the leads are Americans playing Icelanders in a tongue-in-cheek caricature.