One of
the most original comedies in recent years, wherein an ad seeking a
companion for time travel provokes the interest of three journalists, is
also one of
the funniest. The first feature for its writer (Derek Connolly) and director (Colin Trevorrow), it’s also the first lead role for Aubrey Plaza of
Parks and Recreation. If you’ve seen the actress on that NBC show,
her intern character, Darius, here will seem familiar. Projecting an unusual
combination of sarcasm and sincerity, she’s the mistress of
deadpan humor. When a potential employer, a restaurant,
asks Darius whether she’d ever gone out of her way to do a little extra at a previous job, she
simply says no. She’s equally unenthusiastic about her unpaid position
at
Seattle magazine, but agrees to tag along when one of the staff members (Jake Johnson, of New Girl) heads to a nearby town to see if the ad is for real. Another intern (Karan Soni) is the trio’s third member, a somewhat stereotypically introverted Indian guy.
Mark Duplass plays Kenneth, the guy who placed the ad, who will need to be persuaded to pick someone from the team as his companion. The
boss makes the first pitch, but doesn’t pass the test—including questions like “Have
you faced certain death”— because he’s kind of an ass. So the intern
tries her
hand. When asked the crucial question, she says if she’d faced certain
death she wouldn’t be there. Kenneth is meant to be off-kilter but sympathetic, and so the snarkiness of the beginning of the film (and the Darius character) gives way to something more sincere while remaining funny. A covert operation to procure supplies becomes a brief but hilarious parody of suspense films.
The ending was not what I expected, and I had mixed feelings about it, but it was in keeping with a comedy that has a cynical shell and a romantic interior.
viewed 6/7/12 7:30 pm [PFS screening] and reviewed 6/8–6/24/12
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