Stupid Is as Stupid Does

My loyal movie-going sidekick Anne introduced a new term to me this past week. "Stupid Factor" refers to how amusing a film can be based on the pure inanity of the execution. When you create a great film in the vein of any year's Best Picture Academy Award winner, often a great amount of attention is given to refining the screenplay, getting the smallest details correct, and casting the best and brightest talents available. Much like a cooking steak, it is that attention that makes the difference between  a five-star dinner and a burnt vaguely meat-like carcass. Of course, you don't always want steak for dinner, and by extension you don't always have a strong desire to see The King's Speech or The Hurt Locker, no matter how high the quality in their design. As my father often says, sometimes you just want cotton candy. Sure, it might be completely without nutritional value, but for a light, filling snack that's euphoric in flavor, it will do the job. Many films don't possess anywhere near the attention deserved of a sure award nominee, but still manage to be entertaining nonetheless. That's where Stupid Factor comes in. Many movies entertain not by telling original stories or even by showing off superior acting skills. No, these films attract people to the theaters despite rote characters, cliched plots and mediocre performances by cranking up the stupidity and raunchiness. They've been around forever; how else could Dumb and Dumber and Ace Ventura be so well remembered by people my age if not because of how stupid they were? But since Jim Carrey hasn't had a solid movie career in years, these days Stupid Factor generally applies to one particular genre of film: romantic comedies. What's Your Number? at face value looks like a typical romance tale of a mismatched pair destined to be with one another. Would the Stupid Factor manage to bring it to a higher level than this by-the-numbers storytelling could take it?

"Crazy Eyes" since 1976

Based on the novel 20 Times a Lady by Karyn Bosnak, What's Your Number? takes inspiration from those silly Cosmopolitan articles and tries to see what will happen when one of its readers takes the story a little too seriously. After reading that a woman with twenty or more sexual partners is much less likely to find their true love and marry, Ally Darling (Anna Faris) finds herself suffering a crisis as she realizes that she has hit that milestone without finding "The One". Not wanting to sleep with anyone until she meets that special someone, she soon realizes that the answer might be in her exes, many of whom have improved with age. Despite other critical issues going on in her life, Ally enlists the help of Colin Shea (Chris Evans), the perennial ladies man from across the hall, and begins to hunt down all twenty men she's slept with, hoping to find the one of them has gone from loser to winner.

I would not want to have to climb those stairs

Okay, yes, I admit it: that premise was PAINFUL to commit to the page. As I already stated, the whole story surrounding a fictional Prince Charming is a bit tough to swallow. Thankfully the Stupid Factor kicks in to assist in making the whole experience far more palatable. First of all, Ally is given a broad array of former beaus on whom to focus, from the formerly obese Disgusting Donald (Chris Pratt) to puppeteer Gerry Perry (SNL's Andy Samberg) to gynecologist Dr. Barrett Ingold (Thomas Lennon), each with their own background and individual characteristics. Some of the more interesting moments in the film are the reuniting of Ally with these men, and realizing why the pair never worked out in the first place. There are definitely some raunchy moments (and some body parts that should perhaps never be shown on film) but for an R-rated romantic comedy it's nowhere near as revealing as Love and Other Drugs or as crass as Bad Teacher, which is nice since the film wouldn't have worked if it had tried to portray Ally as a sex-starved harlot. Here she's mostly innocent, just a hapless young woman trying to find her way, and that makes for great interaction between her and just about any other character in the cast.

Aaand this review just got more interesting!

The only problem is that Ally as a focal point is just not the most engrossing person. That part belongs to Colin, played by the superb Chris Evans. While Faris is certainly competent and well-cast to her role, the slight addition of Clueless-era Alicia Silverstone to Faris' existing cinema persona does little make Ally any different from any of her previous roles. If you saw her breakthrough in the early Scary Movie titles, congratulations; you've seen everything she has to offer as an actress and as a comedian. Evans however is something special. I've remarked in recent months that there are some actors and actresses for whom I'll see any motion picture, from Helen Mirren to Ryan Gosling. Evans has silently crept his way onto that list, most notably because of the variety of roles he takes on. Evans has no issue with starring in sci-fi thrillers (Sunshine, Push) or comic book adaptations (The Losers, Captain America) or really WEIRD comic book adaptations (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), and that's both excellent and refreshing to find in a young actor. It doesn't hurt that each character he plays is fundamentally different from the last, meaning that as a performer Evans has nowhere to go but up in the industry. Here is no different as he tackles the role of an unapologetic man-whore expertly, never making Colin unlikable and in fact transforming him over the course of the story. Some other standouts are Ari Graynor as Ally's soon-to-be-married sister and Blythe Danner as her overly-critical mother, but nobody comes close to topping Evans.

This is how bad decisions are born

Unfortunately, that is also true for the film as a whole. While the Stupid Factor can indeed raise a film above its limitations, it is usually invoked when there's no choice but to do so. Despite some genuinely interesting moments (as well as taking place in my hometown of Boston, Massachusetts) there's very little that elevates this above similar RomCom fare, and it's not much better than the fun but generic Larry Crowne or the pointless One Day. While I liked that the first shot of the film was an article declaring that romantic comedies were not just for women anymore, there are few opportunities like this that really make you feel that any of this is new. The worst part is that in What's Your Number?'s final moments it reneges on the entirety of progress our lead character made over the length of the film. Part of this is surely from the typicality chick lit book on which the film is based. Part of it likely falls on director Mark Mylod, who doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in a future film career. Whoever is at fault, the film suffers from a serious lack of conviction in the closing of the story. Though there's only so much Stupid Factor can do, it can make even bad movies into a joyful trip complete with picnic baskets, as it does so here. Just don't go in to this one thinking it's smarter than your average film.

My Friend Paul

I think I realize now why I didn't love Shaun of the Dead when I first saw it. When the zombie-comedy film, co-starring English comedians Simon Pegg and Nick Frost first reached our shores back in 2004, I wasn't in the theaters to see it. I honestly don't remember what I was up to about that time, but despite so many around me raging about how great it was, I safely managed to completely avoid the film release. A year or so later, I finally rented the DVD and despite (or perhaps because of) the tons of positive hype I'd received from friends and acquaintances that this was one of the funniest movies they'd ever seen, I found myself unenthused by some of the obscure jokes and inane plot threads. That's not to say I didn't LIKE Shaun; not at all, I liked it very much. I just didn't LOVE it like so many around me seemed to. So underwhelmed was I by this that I skipped the duo's next collaboration, 2007's Hot Fuzz, altogether, and only in 2009's Star Trek reboot did I see either of the actors (Pegg) perform in another film. So it wasn't with a ton of excitement that led me to seeing science fiction comedy Paul last night. Instead, I decided that the trailers looked good enough, the buzz was big enough, and enough time had passed that I would be willing to give another Pegg/Frost film a shot, even knowing the lackluster Seth Rogen had a role to play. My low expectations then made it that much sweeter when the film proved to be much more than I could have imagined.

The Battle of Helm's Deep re-enactment hit a few snags: nerds

Starting at the last place you would ever expect a film to begin (San Diego's famous Comic-Con), we meet Graeme and Clive (Pegg and Frost), a writer/illustrator duo enamored with all things science fiction. Visiting the United States for the first time, the duo follow up the San Diego stint with a road trip of the US's most famous UFO sites, including Area 51 and the Black Mailbox. They expected to have a fun time. What they DIDN'T expect was to accidentally meet Paul (voice of Rogen), a big-headed "gray" alien who need their help. Paul just escaped from Area 51's lock-down facility in which he'd been held for decades, and must escape to a rendezvous point before the government agents led by Special Agent Zoil (Jason Bateman) can catch up with him and bring the little guy back for dissection.

Headlamps for under $10? I've got to call this in!

The film does a lot of stuff right, and the main reason for that can be attributed to the amazing script written by the film's stars. While the film drags a little bit in the opening, it does make for a nice enough opener and allows those who might not be familiar with the Comic-Con experience to catch a glimpse of what they're missing. Once the duo get on the road and meet their extraterrestrial wingman, however, the film manages to take off and the excitement is perfectly paced throughout. The film doesn't fall in the trap of being too serious, however, as the comedy is solid throughout, with only repeated jokes as to the duo's questioned sexuality failing to inspire much mirth. Director Greg Mottola did his share of work, and while his penchant for potty humor and sight gags is still here, so is his ability to make fun characters connect a-la Superbad. In all, he makes the perfect companion to Pegg and Frost, with all three seemingly on the same page for most of the film.

Obviously though the sign said "No PANTS, No Shoes, No Service"

The best however is the film's unabashed nerdism. There are obvious scenes that are easy to pick out, from Steven Spielberg's cameo and a redneck bar whose band is playing the famous "Cantina Theme" from Star Wars, but the film truly draws from the lesser-known geekery every chance it gets. When you see Graeme wearing a tee-shirt with the comic character Invincible on it or when Clive mutters in his sleep "Boomer, it's forbidden," the true comic and sci-fi nerd can't help but smile at the references. The film doesn't treat these fans as jokes, either; fans of sci-fi and fantasy comics, shows and films have never been shown so much respect from a big-budget Hollywood film, at least not since 1999's Galaxy Quest. Pegg and Frost are as large fans as could be conceived, but neither are portrayed as simple or one-note characters. They're complex creatures with wants, needs and flaws, as far from comic nerd cliches as you can get.

Things were so simple on Arrested Development...

Speaking of Pegg and Frost, their hard work and respect for the subject matter really shows in their performances here. Pegg's acting isn't notably special, but he comes off believably as an artistic nerd who finds himself in a situation he would have thought impossible only days ago. Frost I had expected to dislike, as his sluggish character in Shaun was one of the main reasons I didn't come away a believer. However, he's much more sympathetic here, and in fact manages to steal the spotlight on several occasions. He's simply more fleshed out (no pun intended) and more likely someone you'd want to hang out with. The fraternity between the two stars is obvious, and they work together so charmingly that I'm not sure I want to see them in anything else if the other wasn't present. Some of the film's best bits can safely be attributed to the arrival of Kristen Wiig on the scene as a long-suffering creationist Christian who's mind is blown upon meeting the little grey man. Wiig might be close to graduating from the house at 30 Rockefeller Plaza to become a legitimate Hollywood star, and she's got the comedic timing and talent to make it work. I was worried Bateman would play the straight guy too well, but he puts in a solid performance as Agent Zoil, strong and unpredictable to the end. The weakest parts of the cast were probably the film's sub-villains, most notable Bill Heder and Joe Lo Trugilo as Zoil's subordinates, who don't even come off as half-competent as government agents. Blythe Danner and Jane Lynch even make for nice scenes as colorful characters on the path the film takes. But it's Seth Rogen as the titular hero who's the true surprise. Rogen, who I pretty much dislike in everything I've seen, manages to be the PERFECT voice for the foul-mouthed alien, and I was genuinely pleased with the character's range and Rogen's ability to carry the load.

E.T. phone HOME! Big time.

The reason I didn't love Shaun of the Dead became clear to me as I watched Paul's closing credits: for all the good Shaun presented, I just wasn't really a fan of zombie movies at the time, and so much of of what was so innovative about the film went over my head. With Paul's much more appealing medium, I now realize that Pegg and Frost are, like me and so many others, just fans who make films about what they love. While I didn't connect with Shaun's zombie comedy (and with my respect for Zombieland, I wonder if that would change should I try again?), Paul's love letter to fandom was much better received.. With the slow opening going against it's otherwise perfect narrative, it comes in trailing only The Adjustment Bureau at #2 for 2011. A well-written, funny as hell celebration of Sci-fi and fantasy, I would recommend it to anyone out there, though it'll be the real, unashamed nerds who get the best experience out of it.