You ever enjoy a movie while it's playing, but then walk out feeling a little cheated? That was my experience with this movie. Certainly, there is stuff to like here. Edward Norton is rapidly proving himself to be one of the best actors of his generation(and to those who are saying, "Oh my God! He can do comedy?", I'd suggest taking a look at EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU, or, for darker comedy, THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT or ROUNDERS), and he continues to demonstrate that here. He's very subtle in conveying how he gradually falls in love with Anna. He also does a great RAIN MAN riff. And as director, it's nice to see he doesn't let himself hog all the screen time, but shares it equally with Stiller and Elfman. Stiller is, as usual, very funny, and manages to convey his character's conflict in a way that makes it feel real, rather than just plot. And Elfman continues to prove there's a lot more to her than Dharma.
BUT(and beware, there are some spoilers coming up):
The movie can't help getting sitcom-ish at times. Some of it, of course, is personal; I must admit liking verbal gags more than physical, unless the physical ones are done well, and Norton indulges in too many for himself at first(the one with Stiller fainting at the circumcision may have been obvious, but that was nicely done). More importantly, while the movie tries to respect each religion, it still seems a little cartoonish and unbelievable at times. I know each of them are trying to make their congregations come into the 21st century, as it were, and I'm all for that, but sometimes, I just didn't buy them(I'm a Catholic, and while I went to a liberal Catholic college, I'm not sure I'd believe New York Catholics would want the movie SEVEN to be involved in a discussion of the seven deadly sins). But most of all is how Norton and writer Stuart Blumberg seem to rely on romantic comedy formula rather than genuine feeling. Yes, I'm talking about the reconciliation scene; that came straight out of Sitcom 101(also Stiller's "revelation" scene at the traffic light right before that). At the end, Norton thanks Nora Ephron and confirmed in an interview I read that he called her up for advice. I wish he hadn't, because scenes like this are hallmarks of her films and why they're so shallow. And did they have to sing Barry Manilow at the karaoke center?
This isn't a terrible film, understand, I just found myself vaguely irritated even while I was laughing at some of it. Overall, I'd recommend it, but it's not without flaw. Brief aside: I chuckled when Norton was holding the ANNA BANANA sign at the airport because in high school, I had a friend named Shanna who, when she ran for student council, had the slogan "Don't be a Banana/Vote for Shanna," whereupon her friends started calling her Shanna Banana. We also tried calling her sister "Stacy Banana," but that didn't take.
BUT(and beware, there are some spoilers coming up):
The movie can't help getting sitcom-ish at times. Some of it, of course, is personal; I must admit liking verbal gags more than physical, unless the physical ones are done well, and Norton indulges in too many for himself at first(the one with Stiller fainting at the circumcision may have been obvious, but that was nicely done). More importantly, while the movie tries to respect each religion, it still seems a little cartoonish and unbelievable at times. I know each of them are trying to make their congregations come into the 21st century, as it were, and I'm all for that, but sometimes, I just didn't buy them(I'm a Catholic, and while I went to a liberal Catholic college, I'm not sure I'd believe New York Catholics would want the movie SEVEN to be involved in a discussion of the seven deadly sins). But most of all is how Norton and writer Stuart Blumberg seem to rely on romantic comedy formula rather than genuine feeling. Yes, I'm talking about the reconciliation scene; that came straight out of Sitcom 101(also Stiller's "revelation" scene at the traffic light right before that). At the end, Norton thanks Nora Ephron and confirmed in an interview I read that he called her up for advice. I wish he hadn't, because scenes like this are hallmarks of her films and why they're so shallow. And did they have to sing Barry Manilow at the karaoke center?
This isn't a terrible film, understand, I just found myself vaguely irritated even while I was laughing at some of it. Overall, I'd recommend it, but it's not without flaw. Brief aside: I chuckled when Norton was holding the ANNA BANANA sign at the airport because in high school, I had a friend named Shanna who, when she ran for student council, had the slogan "Don't be a Banana/Vote for Shanna," whereupon her friends started calling her Shanna Banana. We also tried calling her sister "Stacy Banana," but that didn't take.