Jeff Chang is 21 today, so old school friends Miller and Casey arrive at his university determined to show him a good time, despite the fact that he has an important interview tomorrow under the stern gaze of his hyper-controlling father. And, of course, they get the lad completely obliterated, which results in various problems in trying to get him home and sober in time for his interview.
It seems to me that there are many elements to modern comedies. They may include any, or all, of the following: tastelessness, bad language, toilet humour, sexual elements, a repellent main character, and general outrageousness. For me, there are only two deal-breakers. One of them is a central character who is so deeply unpleasant that I find very quickly that I can't abide being in their company (and, heaven knows, there have been a LOT of comedies built around such characters in recent years), the other is when the film isn't funny. Well, the good news is that even though Miller - who drives most of this movie - is annoying and irresponsible, he isn't unlikeable. And the better news is that the movie is not only moderately amusing (no laugh out loud stuff, but frequent chuckles), it has some heart, too. There is a genuinely warming relationship between the three friends, and lessons do get learned.
Tasteless - yes, but likable - also, yes.
It seems to me that there are many elements to modern comedies. They may include any, or all, of the following: tastelessness, bad language, toilet humour, sexual elements, a repellent main character, and general outrageousness. For me, there are only two deal-breakers. One of them is a central character who is so deeply unpleasant that I find very quickly that I can't abide being in their company (and, heaven knows, there have been a LOT of comedies built around such characters in recent years), the other is when the film isn't funny. Well, the good news is that even though Miller - who drives most of this movie - is annoying and irresponsible, he isn't unlikeable. And the better news is that the movie is not only moderately amusing (no laugh out loud stuff, but frequent chuckles), it has some heart, too. There is a genuinely warming relationship between the three friends, and lessons do get learned.
Tasteless - yes, but likable - also, yes.