Wanderlust: Wait, Where are We Going?

Twenty minutes into the movie, just as your smiles fades from cracking up, your brow furrows and you ask, “wait, where is this going.” Indeed, like the people within the film, you find yourself wanderlust. The definition being: A very strong or irresistible impulse to travel; yours being to for the story to travel towards some sort of plot.

But credit must be given to the comedy. There are some moments that are absolutely hilarious, Paul Rudd in particular. The film is written and directed by indie-man David Wain, who has worked with Rudd since his cult classic Wet Hot American Summer. It follows a couple, George (Rudd) and Linda (Jennifer Aniston) who move to New York City and almost as soon as they settle into their pin-box apartment, they’re thrown out to the streets. George looses his job and they opt to move in with his idiot brother Rick, played with douche-bag-I-totally-know-that-guy glory by Ken Marino. But on the way to Rick’s home in Georgia, they stumble upon an unlikely refuge, Elysium.

Complete with flower-children, guitar-playing potheads and of course the wine-making nudist, Elysium convinces George and Linda to stay. All the sudden they’ve switched blackberry phones for fruit stands and monogamy for free love: what have they gotten themselves into?

The film is just a compilation of funny moments. It’s entertaining, but can’t seem to find weight. George and Linda’s retaliation against social norms raises important questions. She asks him, “Why can’t we be happy every day?” It may seem elementary, but it’s far from a stupid question. The margarita machine and lonely mother lament’s from Rick’s wife remind us all how awful the “American Dream” can actually be.

But the problem with Wanderlust is that it becomes so distracted with comedic bits to ever explore the questions that could potentially give it ground. Sure, the supporting cast of hippies is brilliantly quirky, but they remain cardboard. They’re caricatures that you constantly want to see as real people. And these people do exist out there. The commune lifestyle can be appealing. Give up technology for truth circles, meat for melons and epidurals for natural birth…well, maybe not the latter. But George and Linda never really figure out why and why not this lifestyle works. All the sudden, the film turns into a romantic comedy, wrapping itself up with a big red bow and….wait, what just happened?

It’s a screenplay that should’ve chosen one of two things, or to find the greatest success, both. A solid plot with an obvious antagonist, the hippie-leader Seth (Justin Theroux) is way too charming to be the bad guy, or characters with intricate, intriguing struggles to drive the story along.

That goes to say Rudd and Aniston do they best with what they have. They’ve both mastered the delicacy of being both relatable and entertaining. Rudd is the voice of truth, and perhaps the best part of the film. He calls everyone on his or her bullshit. Too bad no one ever calls him out on his own, preventing him to fight or struggle for anything as a character. But that’s OK, he’s the funny, sweet guy who couldn’t hurt a fly. Time to see Rudd become a man….don’t you agree?

Despite Wanderlust’s lack of structure, it’s over- all satisfying. Sometimes you’ll sacrifice poignancy for a few good belly laughs. But now that Wain has established himself as a filmmaker, it’d be nice to s e him take things slightly more seriously. After all, great comedy comes from an even greater tragedy.