Aceshowbiz.com

At first glance, Wanderlust appears to be another film with all the makings of petty romantic comedy; the idea of Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd teaming up in a film about finding one’s inner self seems like enough to place the film next to other disappointing romantic comedies like Along Came Polly or One for the Money. But director David Wain (Role Models) successfully translates the same awkward and unexpected humour into a unique and hilarious context with enough absurd plot twists to keep viewers laughing throughout the entire film. Wanderlust warrants itself as a memorable comedy in its own right.  

The story centres on characters Linda and George (Aniston and Rudd) who, after hoping to start a new and promising urban life in New York City, are forced to leave their dreams behind after George is unexpectedly laid off. With nowhere else to turn, they reluctantly pack up and head to Atlanta to live with George’s older brother and wife. On the way there, they stumble upon the hippie commune Elysium. Upon realizing that George’s frat-boy brother is unbearable, they soon head back to Elysium to stay until they figure out where to go from there.  

The comedic magic lies in the commune’s exaggeratedly quirky and alternative lifestyle, one that Linda and George learn to embrace. The plot progresses with a hysterical depiction of their random day-to-day practices: George can only observe the commune with disbelief, but Linda unexpectedly eases right into it. Everything stereotypically associated with hippies—nudism, tantric sex, herbal tea, and drugs—is laid out before us through a cast of individuals that successfully transform into caricatures of the hippie movement. The dialogue has plenty of hilarious one-liners, and often painfully drags out delayed awkward moments and situations that left me crying with laughter.  

Both Aniston and Rudd do not stretch far from anything we haven’t already seen before. Rudd plays a sarcastic simpleton whose comedic quality lies in his awkward yet amusing way of dealing with embarrassing situations, though we do get to see his impressive improvisational skills. Jennifer Aniston doesn’t shock the same way her recent character as a nymphomaniac dentist did in Horrible Bosses, but it’s still great to see her play a comedic role. She has an undeniable charm and likeability that shines through her character’s free-spiritedness, and most of all she reminds us that even in at 43, she is the face for the elixir of youth. The real icing on the cake howver is the antagonist Seth (Justin Theroux), who holds intense passion for peace, harmony, yoga, and making love.  

Wanderlust is the kind of movie that is entertaining at face value. Any sort of logical progression of events is to be forgotten; director David Wain wants viewers to sit back and be amused. If you’re looking for a film with a deeper thematic meaning or emotional development of characters, look elsewhere. Wanderlust is for the sake of laughing out loud and nothing more.