SHE'S FUNNY THAT WAY - review

SHE'S FUNNY THAT WAY
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Cast: Imogen Poots, Owen Wilson, Kathryn Hahn, Will Forte, Jennifer Aniston, Rhys Ifans

Synopsis: The cast and crew of a Broadway play are thrown into a romantic roundelay when a lecherous director hires a hooker-turned-actress to star alongside his wife and his wife's ex-lover

You know those movies where you see the trailer and then spend the next several months hoping against all hope that all the funny bits aren't just in the trailer because it looks funny and you want the whole movie to be equally as funny? Well, SHE'S FUNNY THAT WAY was one of those films for me. The trailer made the film look like a ridiculous comedy of errors - incredibly farcical - and I was hoping that the movie would have some additional plot points and more funny bits. Sadly though I was disappointed. Most of the funny bits are in the trailer and there aren't really that many more plot points.

uh oh - husband, wife, call girl, ex-lover - what could possibly go wrong? 

image via Lionsgate

Seeing Peter Bogdanovich's name made me excited, it's been a while since he's graced us with his directorial presence, and the casting looked ok, and while the movie aimed for good old fashioned farcical nonsense, it's mostly just nonsense. Squirrels to the nuts. I heard that phrase about 17 million times in this film and I still don't understand what is happening.

squirrels to the nuts - I don't think even Owen Wilson knows what that means you guys

image via Lionsgate

The opening narrative sets us up in a journalistic interview with an ever optimistic, miracle believing IT girl being interviewed by the ever cyincal journalist about the story of how her acting career came to be. Once call-girl Isabella (Imogen Poots) has a chance meeting with director Arnold Albertson (Owen Wilson), ok well, not so much chance, she's a call-girl, he hired a call-girl, but whatever, and he offers her a tidy sum to quit the business and follow her dream of becoming an actress. She gets a call for an interview for a new Broadway production to play the role of, you guessed it a hooker. I mean come on guys, what are the odds? The other two actors in the play are Arnolds wife Delta (Kathryn Hahn) and Delta's ex-lover Seth (Rhys Ifans). That's just a disaster waiting to happen. Everyone loves Isabella's read, not knowing of course her history with the director, and she gets hired. She also gets asked out by the playwright Joshua (Will Forte),whose ex-girlfiend is Isabella's therapist and whose father is a private investigator hired with following Isabella for another of her clients. All manner of unlikely coincidences occur entwining these stories together leading to a giant catasrophical blow out.

Unfortunately the script is average at best and the film is far too predictable for my liking, but from what I've read this was a labour of love, rather than an aim for the next big hit for Bogdanovich, who co-wrote the script with his ex-wife many years ago. I hope it was worth it emotionally for him getting this piece of the ground, because based on what I've seen the box office results aren't that great. I appreciate that film scripts have to be somewhat predictable on some level so that viewers can follow the storyline, but this was just pushing it a little too far. I could almost guess what the lines were going to be, and you could see 10 minutes out exactly where the next scene would end up.

Credit where credit is due, the cast have done a wonderful job with what they have in this film and Poots lights up the screen like nobody's business. There are strong moments of funny in this film, but it wasn't the laugh out loud, mishap filled caper I was hoping for.

such a lovely cast 

image via Lionsgate

I would be rushing out to hand over 20-something dollars see this unless you've seen every single other film on at the cinema and you want a no-brainer piece of trash to fill in some time, or you've got some movie vouchers that are going to expire and it's after 5 on a Saturday and you can't use them for anything else.

2 out of 5

xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell