Film Review: Sex Tape

Sex Tape. Rated MA15+ (strong sex scenes, sexual references, coarse language and drug use). 94 minutes. Directed by Jake Kasdan. Screenplay by Kate Angelo, Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller.

Verdict: Apple® product placement reaches a new high.

Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel and Jake Kasdan first worked together on Bad Teacher (2011), the story of Diaz’s ‘bad’ teacher Elizabeth, who quits her job to marry her rich boyfriend, only to find herself back in the classroom again after he dumps her. Her mission to find another wealthy man to marry was one of the most unexpectedly enjoyable films of the season. Even though it has its moments, this outing for the trio is considerably less successful.

When parents Annie (Diaz) and Jay (Segel) try to rekindle their previously passionate sex life by making a sex tape, copies of the resulting video end up being shared amongst their friends on second-hand iPads that Jay gives them as gifts. When Annie’s future employer Hank (Rob Lowe) receives one of the iPads, Annie and Jay decide to go to whatever lengths are necessary to retrieve it before he has the chance to watch it.

Lowe is an odd choice for the role of Annie’s future boss, mostly because it is impossible to ignore the fact that he had his own infamous moment in the ‘sex tape’ sun way back 1989. Lowe has become a fine actor over the years, and his performance as the peculiar Hank is well below the standard he has set for himself in West Wing and Brothers and Sisters.

When it is not resembling an over-produced commercial for every Apple® product under the sun (Jay owns a ridiculous number of the company’s devices), the screenplay struggles to last the distance. While there are certainly some big laughs to be had (the scenes involving Jay and Hank’s German Shepherd guard dog are ridiculously over the top), it ultimately feels as though everyone is trying just that little bit too hard to get it over the line.

This review was commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.

Film Review: The Five-Year Engagement

The Five-Year Engagement. Rated MA15+ (strong sexual references and coarse language). 124 minutes. Directed by Nicholas Stoller. Written by Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel.

Verdict: A long, verbose and laboured one-note rom-com that takes itself far too seriously.

This long, verbose and laboured one-note rom-com boasts some excellent comedy pedigree behind the scenes. Producer Judd Apatow is responsible for Bridesmaids (2011), Get Him to the Greek (2010) and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) to name just three. Mr Stoller directed Get Him to the Greek and Forgetting Sarah Marshall and wrote the screenplays for The Muppets (2011) and the regrettable Gulliver's Travels (2010). Surprisingly, given the team’s track-record, the extent to which this tired old affair appeals will depend entirely on how much of fan you are of the leads Jason Segel (The Muppets, Bad Teacher) and Emily Blunt (Gulliver's Travels, The Wolfman, Wild Target).

When chef Tom (Segel) and psychology PhD graduate Violet (Blunt) first meet, they both realise that they are destined to be together forever. A year later, blissfully engaged and working hard to realise their personal goals, Violet is given the opportunity to move to Michigan to further her studies and Tom reluctantly goes with her – leaving his job in a prestigious restaurant behind. As Violet’s career blossoms, Tom becomes more and more disillusioned with his new life and the impact on their relationship becomes increasingly difficult to manage.

The sense that The Five-Year Engagement is trying to be more quirky and meaningful (1994’s Four Weddings and a Funeral springs to mind) than hilarious and engaging is evident in the sombre pacing, and the fact that when the laughs eventually come, they are long overdue and barely worth the wait. The MA15+ rating is courtesy of some filthy language and some artless attempts to make the supporting characters risqué and contemporary that only succeeds in creating squirm-inducing discomfort.

Chris Pratt (Moneyball) has his moments as Tom’s nemesis and colleague Alex, while Oscar nominated Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom) in her first Hollywood outing since that acclaimed performance is punching well below her weight as Violet’s mother Sylvia. But if the film belongs to anyone, it’s Alison Brie’s Suzie – whose brief speech at the early engagement party sequence is the only sign of true comedic flair we get.