Reviews

This is one of those films that grabbed me right off the bat with it's true-to-life dialogue and immensely fun detailing of the small but hilarious things we all experience in daily life but have never taken the time to put into words. It's the movie version of GOOD stand-up comedy, and while I'm not much of a reviewer, I wasn't ten minutes into this before I felt an insatiable obligation to share the pleasure with someone. Which seems like a natural sentiment considering how much charm this movie derives from its relatability.

The plot is simple enough and seems sufficiently outlined in IMDb's summary, so I won't repeat it here. Note: For fans of, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", Glenn Howerton brilliantly deadpans the same type of semi-sociopath we've grown to...love to laugh and shake our heads at. He makes this film a treat.

But what makes this movie truly engaging is its ability to produce a seemingly nonstop stream of jokes so personally relevant to the viewer and our daily lives, as to make one feel as if they're just as much of an insider to the humor as they are a witness. The dialogue's pace is its other strong suit. An off-hand remark may be overlooked by the characters as their attention is diverted elsewhere (along with the viewers') and and may have you intermittently wishing for a pause button in order to better relish just how funny these gems are. But by maintaining its momentum, the movie is allowing the viewer to catch some of these fastballs themselves, which of course, makes them that much more enjoyable.

I'd compare its pacing with that of NBC's 30 Rock, but by replacing Rock's off-brand style of quirky jokes with the off-beat dialogue of a quirky character? The increase in humor just explodes exponentially. Really, this movie is THAT funny. If you're anything like me and not generally a laugh out loud type of person when it comes to cinema, I'll bet you'll find yourself coming out of this feeling like I did...that you really didn't have much of a choice in the matter!

Many Kudos to CollegeHumor for that rare comedy that you'll probably want to watch again immediately after your first viewing so as to be better prepared for the onslaught of funny.

I've never written a review before but felt compelled in this case due to the overwhelming number of positive reviews for a film that I felt was somewhat surprising in it's mediocrity considering its cast. Nic Cage does a fine job of subduing his performance and avoiding the tics that make him so Nicholas Cagey, but at some points it seems like a detriment. Coupled with the home invaders failure to produce much of a 'menacing' feel, Nic's performance doesn't do much to stem the movie from it's ultimate failure: a lack of intensity. In fairness, it seemed like more of a script issue; his character didn't seem very realistic.

Kidman's hyperventilating hysteria and sobbing pleas almost seem out of place in such a setting and I couldn't help but wish someone would just slap the bajeesus out of her already to quiet her down. She came close to seeming like a cliché but then it dawns on you that her acting would be right on target were the scenes and script properly conveying the direness of the situation she was responding to.

The bad guys were somewhat typical bad guys and although Ben Mendelsohn stood out with some great acting, in some scenes it could do little to conceal the sense that he was just doing his best to negotiate through some awkward dialogue.

The movie wasn't bad, it was just a bit predictable and boring, and watching it plod along, I kept waiting for it to be over so I could do something else. It's not transfixing, so would make for a great background movie while you do crosswords or something.