Movies to Avoid: The Stepfather and Wedding Crashers

Last weekend, I watched a movie that I'd almost completely forgotten about by the start of the week. And today I watched another one that I probably would forget if I wasn't writing about it now.  Neither picture was awful, both were shot, edited and presented well, both had acting that was above average, even well above.  But both were utterly by-the-numbers for their genre, completely without originality or surprises.

Images from Wikipedia

Wedding Crashers is an Owen Wilson/Vince Vaughn comedy, and if you've seen one, you've really seen them all. It got such great buzz, I thought it might be a notch above.  Like The Hangover, Crashers is vastly overrated.  There are a few chuckles to be had, I suppose. And I'd watch Bradley Cooper in just about anything  (ie., Hangover).  Still, the whole movie is underwhelming.  It starts with the premise that these two overgrown frat boys love to crash weddings on the weekend, creating cover stories and ingratiating themselves in order to get laid.  I'm not saying nobody does this, but I can't imagine it's a very common pastime, particularly for Wilson and Vaughn, who aren't kids anymore (thankfully, the movie references their encroaching age).

Of course, our boys end up falling for their prey, and (less than) hilarity ensues.  As the family figures out the charade, it appears the crashers may get their comeuppance. Instead, the douchey Cooper character gets his. By the end--and I doubt it's possible to spoil this for you--everything works out for our heroes, and both get to keep the girl, despite their deception.  Maybe if they'd added Paul Rudd, Michael Cera or one of those funny looking guys with a "Jew 'fro," this could have been better, but I doubt it.

The Stepfather is a movie of a whole different type. The film is a remake of an old 80s low-budget cheapie (but cult favorite), about a deranged man who is a family crasher.  He targets women who've recently been divorced or widowed, and tries to supplant the husband/father.  He's on a quest for the perfect family, and when things start to turn sour, he gets very unpleasant.  The original character was played by Terry O'Quinn (John Locke on Lost), to very creepy effect. The new version is played by Dylan Walsh (Sean MacNamara on Nip\Tuck), and he does a fine job.  I just kept noticing his acting, being so familiar with his previous character.  I also had no surprises, having seen the original a couple of times.  I knew his motivation going in, and the film hews pretty closely to the original.

Image from Ace Showbiz

The male protagonist, Penn Badgley, is the potential stepson, and he's about six years too old for the part.  His girlfriend, played by Amber Heard, has the same age issue, but is at least then age-appropriate for Penn. Anyway, both are more than capable actors--very good, actually--and very easy on the eyes. If you aren't attracted to one of them (or both?), you may need to consult a doctor.  Eye candy aside, the movie just doesn't seem to have any reason for being. It isn't scary enough to be horror, isn't bloody enough to be gore, and isn't suspenseful enough to be a thriller.  Despite all the obvious talent involved, I just can't recommend it.

UPDATE:  I've noted in several earlier reviews that when I watch seemingly any two movies, there is almost always some sort of link between the two.  In addition to the fact that both plots center on characters who insinuate themselves into people's lives, there is something else.  In both films, there is a gay subplot that serves very little purpose.  In the case of Wedding Crashers, it is the twitchy, artist brother of one of the "target" women.  He's creepy and unbalanced, and the humor derived from the subplot is sketchy and borderline homophobic. In The Stepfather, the prospective wife's sister is clearly a lesbian, with a long-term partner, though this isn't stated in dialog, really.  The subplot serves no obvious purpose, and the fact that the two women are gay is rather offhand; incidental to the story.  I have no problem with this actually, and think it is rather refreshing. After all, most families have gay members, and their sexuality is almost never relevant to the family's day-to-day lives.  So kudos to the movie makers for that.