They Came Together
Starring Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler
Directed by David Wain
It’s rather evident that David Wain doesn’t think much of the clichés that proliferate in popular entertainment. That said, he displays his disdain in a decidedly original way: embracing these irksome conventions and amplifying them in order to lay bare their inherent ridiculousness. The results have frequently been inspired (if routinely under-appreciated), be it Wet Hot American Summer – a big screen lampoon of summer camp flicks – or Children’s Hospital – a small screen collaboration with Rob Corddry that takes medical dramas to task.
His trademark peevishness has found its purest form in Wainy Days, a web series in which a knowingly repellent Wain – sweaty, rumpled and reeking like a teenage boy’s bedding – nevertheless woos a succession of beautiful women. Rightfully recognizing that this absurd send-up of romantic comedies is an acquired taste, Wain offers a more palatable version of it here.
Molly (Amy Poehler) runs a Manhattan sweets shop, while Joel (Paul Rudd) toils at a candy multinational intent on literally bulldozing her old-fashioned enterprise. Meeting at a Halloween party at which they’re both dressed like Ben Franklin, this charming pair initially butt heads but soon bond over their shared love of “fiction books.”
Indeed, the joy here comes from watching the readily familiar grow outrageously distorted (such as a scene of Joel’s ethnically diverse bros shooting hoops with astonishing ineptness). However, there’s the distinct sense that Wain is simply giving these played-out tropes a playful ribbing rather than mercilessly raking them over the coals. As usual, if you’re looking for something more hardcore, you’ll have to seek it out online. In this case, WainyDays.com.
