Thursday, May 24, 2007

The Ex

Title: The Ex (2007)
Dir: Jesse Peretz
Rating: ** out of 5 stars



What a disappointment! I had high hopes considering The Ex stars the leads of two comedy series I absolutely love (Scrubs and Arrested Development). Plus, it has Amy Poehler and Fred Armisen! But alas, the movie is pretty lame.

The plot goes as follows: After being fired from his latest job, Tom (Zach Braff) goes to work for his father-in-law (Charles Grodin - yes, he's still alive). He ends up working under one of his wife's old flames - a wheelchair-bound fella named Chip (Jason Bateman). Tom soon realizes that Chip is still romantically interested in his wife, and is actually trying to sabotage Tom. But of course, nobody believes him and he just looks like a huge asshole.

Predictable plotline aside, this film's problem is that it's just not funny. Bateman's sliminess is occasionally amusing, but Braff is particularly unlikable in this. The Ex is not unwatchable, which is why I gave it 2 stars. I do not hate it, but I really did not like it either. I was especially let down because of my love for Braff and Bateman. What a wasted collaboration.

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