At the Movies with Emily and Jeff: I Love you, Man

I know, I usually save these in-depth, thought-provoking and heavily referenced reviews for the dramas we go to see, but, well... this might be my favorite movie of the year so far.

Heavy, right?! It's a comedy! It's not really getting a ton of buzz.

But I love, love, loved "I Love You, Man." Probably because I related to it. Jeff is sort of like Paul Rudd in this movie, without the underlying femininity (No, he's never made me and my girlfriends root beer floats with chocolate straws.) Sure, Jeff has guy friends, and he picked his best man as soon as we got engaged. But he's just like Rudd in the movie:  he doesn't, to my knowledge, sit around and tell these friends his deepest secrets (does he have any) or talk about much super personal stuff, like I do with my friends. It's just not the kind of guy he is.

He also admitted to me after the movie that he's been caught in situations like Rudd in the movie, saying stupid things and then wondering why. But it's totes mcgotes with me, I love him.

This was the best comedy I've seen since "The 40-year-old Virgin" and that's one of my favorite movies ever. Yes, better than "Knocked Up." And Rudd just MADE this movie. He's so good. I've loved Paul Rudd since his performance in "Clueless" -- which is one of the most underrated movies of all time, but that's a point for another day. Most of the jokes in this movie don't rely on bad language, sex or gross-out stuff (though there are a few, of course). I really appreciate comedies that can rise to that level. I also love Segel, (who was also in the underrated Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Rashida Jones, who has that every-girl charm. 

I highly, highly recommend this movie. I don't think there was a joke I didn't laugh at. I kept laughing as I read reviews after I saw the movie, remembering the parts. We will definitely be purchasing this one on video when it comes out :)

Final rating: Four Werschaibles.

BONUS TIME!!! We'll call this "On the Couch with Emily and Jeff." Jeff and I rented six movies over the last two weeks (Yes, mom, we are saving for the wedding, some of these movies were free) Here's some quick thoughts on them, from best to worst.

Changeling: This was the best movie we rented. It had that dark, moody feel of an Eastwood-directed movie, and the story was certainly captivating. Jeff never took his eyes off the screen for a minute, other than to look at me and say "This movie is stressing me out!" We determined that reaction was better than no reaction. Final ranking: Three-and-a-half Werschaibles.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona: I don't know what it is about me that I think I won't like Woody Allen movies, then I see them, and I enjoy them (Match Point and Melinda and Melinda being recent examples). This was no different. They are sort of like short stories come to life on screen, the acting is usually solid, and have a tendency to stay with you a while after you're done. I can see why Cruz won the Oscar, and I don't think ScarJo is quite as bad an actress as some make her out to be. She's aloof and she fits in these aloof roles. She just never comes off as a particularly realistic person. Final ranking: Three Werschaibles.

Rachel Getting Married: As you can tell, we were sort of doing an Oscar redux here. I'm still on the fence about this movie. The story line with Anne Hathaway and her struggle with addiction and dealing with the past was all good, good stuff. But then it was framed by one of the most absurd weddings I've ever seen, and it was hard to reconcile that. I've heard people say, "I'd love to attend a wedding like that" and well, so would I. But do they exist? To me, this wedding was as unrealistic as the one in Bride Wars. Who has this many talented, laid-back friends. How does that work? Who has open mic night in their house during a rehearsal dinner? Whatever. Final ranking: Two-and-a-half Werschaibles.

Ugh... how do I rank these final three?

Pineapple Express: Someone told me this was funny. It was not. We are no longer friends. Final Ranking: Two Werschaibles (extra points for cute James Franco, but minus points for making him scuzzy and stupid.)

Righteous Kill: I wish I could capture the face I made when Jeff brought this home from the video store. Doesn't he read reviews? This movie was supposed to be terrible, and guess what, it was! I saw someone describe it as if "Someone walked in with the script, fell and the pages scattered everywhere and they decided there was no time to re-order them so they just started shooting." Good description. Also, saw the twist a mile away. Seriously. Final ranking: Two Werschaibles.

Step Brothers: People roll their eyes (I am one of them) with every new Tyler Perry or Wayans brothers movie, because they just recycle the same old plots and still manage to sell out theaters. Well it's been the same thing with Will Ferrell's past few movies. Will Ferrell in "Something Ridiculous where he acts stupid!" I'm looking through his past few movies on IMDB right now... and boy, Anchorman (his last good movie) was a long time ago (2004). I hope he gets back on track, because he's obviously hilarious. I kept thinking during the movie why anyone would find two grown men acting like children to be funny. Who knows, I didn't laugh once. Final Ranking: One Werschaible.