Review: I was wondering why this film took so long to get released but now that I've seen it, I can understand why. Watching 2 down and outs, selling Christmas trees for nearly 2 hours, became pretty boring after a while and the other added elements to the storyline wasn't that great. Its about 2 small time thieves who are separated when a job goes wrong and one of them end up in jail for 4 years. While Dennis (Paul Giamatti) is in jail, his partner in crime, Rene (Paul Rudd), falls in love with Dennis's girlfriend and they plan to marry behind his back. When Dennis is finally released from jail, he hopes to get back with his girlfriend and promises to be a better father to there little daughter but she is fed up with his antics and she comes clean about her relationship with his friend. He then confronts Rene and they end up in a little punch up but he still needs a job because he has become homeless so he joins Rene in the Christmas tree selling business. Although he is unhappy about his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Dennis is determined to get enough money to buy a piano for his daughter, so they sell as much trees that they can while Rene is waiting for his divorce to come through, so he can marry Therese (Amy Landecker). After a slow start, there Christmas tree business goes down a storm but there earnings are stolen from them so there plans for the money goes totally out of the window. They then join forces to steal a piano from one of there wealthy customers. I really struggled to stay awake through this film because the tone was quite glum and it took ages to get going. There are a couple of amusing moments, like when Dennis confronted Rene about his relationship with his girlfriend but it started to drag after a while. I'm usually a fan of Paul Giamatti's work but this film has to go down as a bad day at the office, which might explain why it took nearly 3 years to get released. Anyway, I'm sure that this film will pop up around the Christmas period because of its theme but I personally didn't think it was that great. Disappointing!
Round-Up: After loads of comedic roles, Paul Rudd, 46, has finally made a name for himself with the movie Ant-Man. He's played many cameo roles in movies like the Anchorman I & II, the 40 Year Old Virgin, This Is The End, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Knocked Up and he's played major roles in films like Prince Avalanche, Wanderlust, This Is 40, Our Idiot Brother and Dinner For Schmucks but I still think that he was a weird choice for Ant-Man. I'll have to see the movie before I comment on his performance! Anyway, the chemistry between Rudd and Giamatti was OK but they just kept on bickering with each other, which became a bit tedious after a while. The movie was directed by Phil Morrison who brought you Junebug in 2005. Apart from that, he hasn't got that much experience behind the camera so I wasn't that surprised with the outcome. As this movie didn't get a major release, I doubt that it will damage Giamatti or Rudd's careers and I can't see myself watching again, anytime soon.
I recommend this movie to people who are into their drama/comedies starring Paul Giamatti, Paul Rudd, Sally Hawkins and Amy Landecker. 3/10
Round-Up: After loads of comedic roles, Paul Rudd, 46, has finally made a name for himself with the movie Ant-Man. He's played many cameo roles in movies like the Anchorman I & II, the 40 Year Old Virgin, This Is The End, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Knocked Up and he's played major roles in films like Prince Avalanche, Wanderlust, This Is 40, Our Idiot Brother and Dinner For Schmucks but I still think that he was a weird choice for Ant-Man. I'll have to see the movie before I comment on his performance! Anyway, the chemistry between Rudd and Giamatti was OK but they just kept on bickering with each other, which became a bit tedious after a while. The movie was directed by Phil Morrison who brought you Junebug in 2005. Apart from that, he hasn't got that much experience behind the camera so I wasn't that surprised with the outcome. As this movie didn't get a major release, I doubt that it will damage Giamatti or Rudd's careers and I can't see myself watching again, anytime soon.
I recommend this movie to people who are into their drama/comedies starring Paul Giamatti, Paul Rudd, Sally Hawkins and Amy Landecker. 3/10