| "The Ex", formerly
known as "Fast Track", is one of those comedies that feels more mean
spirited and bitter than funny or entertaining. It desperately
tries to attain the comedic balance of uncomfortable goofiness that
is found in films like Jim Carrey's "Cable Guy" or Ben Stiller's
"Meet the Parents". Instead, it generates a handful of
chuckles amidst a deluge of sour cynicism. The plot comes close to
ripping off the aforementioned "Cable Guy", pitting a harmless
dullard, who is having relationship issues, against a conniving
backstabber with a facade of friendship.
The usually reliable Zack Braff and the always adorable and
underrated Amanda Peet are a couple who have just had their first
child. They move out of New York City so that he can go to
work at her father's advertising firm. His new job has him
working underneath one of her fellow highschool cheerleaders, played
by Jason Bateman -- yes, he was a male cheerleader -- oh, and he is
paralyzed from the waist down. Cue the politically incorrect
and uncomfortable wheelchair jokes!
The rest of the story goes exactly as you would predict.
Bateman sabotages Braff. Braff catches on. No one
believes the able-bodied guy. Everyone feels sorry for the
wheelchair dude. Braff falls flat on his face trying to prove
how he is being set-up. He loses the girl. He tries to
get her back. It is all rather predictable and generally
unfunny.
Most of the decent chuckles are due to Bateman's perfect comic
timing. He plays the straight-face really well and dishes out
a handful of witty lines that make the film bearable.
Unfortunately, the rest is disposable. Braff is as plain as a
rice cake and Peet is typically underused. The supporting cast
are not given enough either. The script feels thin and rushed.
It really is no wonder why this film was shelved by studio execs
for so damn long. They knew it was a dud and didn't want to
waste any time or money on it. Eventually, the strategy became
a "dump it and salvage anything we can" ploy, relying heavily on the
good names involved.
Don't reward the studio with your hard earned cash. This is
a straight-to-DVD quality comedy that will be forgotten fast.
Don't even rent it when it comes out on DVD. Just wait a
couple of months until it hits the 50-cent bin. |
