Why Him? (2016)

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  TheMovieDiorama

  4 / 10

  'Why Him?' should be titled 'Why are you watching this formulaic unfunny "comedy"?'. I like to give modern comedies a chance, who knows I may come across the next 'Bridesmaids'. Alas, I have yet to be impressed. An old school family visit their daughter's boyfriend's abode where they uncover his successful video game business. The boyfriend is wanting to propose, so it's a case of impressing the potential father-in-law to gain his blessing. Sounds familiar right? It's a pretty tired formula that we have seen plenty of times, and far funnier in the past. Don't get me wrong, this is watchable and not terrible...it's just wasted potential. James Franco and Bryan Cranston aren't put to good use, I mean they tried and I can see that. Both of these deserve better. It's the screenplay. If a comedic screenplay is unfunny, well...it's a failure. Again, it's a comedy that believes crude profanity is the greatest current trend. Countless sex jokes, numerous "old vs new" conflicts and the unusual attachment to the word "bukake". Oh and "double dicking", Japanese spray toilets and a moose preserved in urine. If any of the above sounds funny to you, then you'll enjoy this. For me, it just doesn't work. I will give the film credit, I laughed twice. A scene involving a webcam and a visually stunning virus that looks like something straight out of Microsoft Paint. Interestingly, both these jokes are in the same scene and it was Cranston's eloquent facial reactions that made me chuckle. The narrative follows a tired formula that surprisingly seemed like it was never going to end. Nearly two hours long! Should've had twenty minutes cut atleast. 'Why Him?' didn't do anything for me. Watchable yet lacking consistent humour, which for a comedy is not ideal. Perhaps I've had the sudden realisation that modern American comedies just aren't doing it for me anymore...

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