Wanderlust (2012)
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Synopsis:
George (Paul Rudd) and Linda (Jennifer Aniston) are an urban married couple who purchase a micro-loft in New York after much hesitation. George is about to start a new job while Linda is trying to sell a documentary to HBO. On George's first day of work, he sees that the company has been put out of business, while HBO rejects Linda's documentary. With both out of work, they are forced to sell their apartment and decide to leave for Georgia to live with George's arrogant brother Rick (Ken Marino) and his wife Marisa (Michaela Watkins) after Rick offers George a job.
After many hours on the highway, Linda demands they stop to rest. The closest place to stop is a bed and breakfast hotel named Elysium. When they turn, they are surprised to see a man walking naked named Wayne Davidson (Joe Lo Truglio). They promptly try to turn back but flip the car over, so they are forced to stay at the hotel. While trying to sleep, they are distracted by noises in the living room. When they go to check, they learn that Elysium is a hippie commune. They meet the various residents of Elysium, including Seth (Justin Theroux), Eva (Malin Åkerman), and Elysium's owner Carvin (Alan Alda). George and Linda spend the night feeling more alive than before. In the morning, everyone helps flip George's car back so they can leave, but Seth urges them to consider staying.
George and Linda arrive at Rick's house and find the atmosphere much less soothing. George eventually reaches breaking point with Rick and takes Linda back to Elysium, where they are welcomed back. George is excited about the simpler lifestyle while Linda is hesitant. After a few days however, Linda starts feeling enlightened by the lifestyle while George begins having second thoughts. George and Linda soon learn that 'free love' is strongly encouraged as Seth and Eva want to seduce Linda and George, respectively. Both George and Linda rebuff the notion of free love.
At the same time, Elysium is being targeted by property developers to build a casino on the property, but they are unable to until they have the deed to the land, which Carvin misplaced. When the property developers arrive with bulldozers, Linda scares them off by flashing them and the other residents join her. Linda is lauded as a hero by the commune. George then demands that they leave, saying that if they stay, they would have to give in to 'free love'. Linda wants to stay and has sex with Seth. George is pressured to have sex with Eva, but he drives her away with his bizarre behavior. The next morning, George reaches breaking point, stating that he dislikes the rules of Elysium and wants to leave. Linda wants to stay, so George goes back to Rick's house alone.
Seth, in the meantime, finds the hidden deed to the land and sells it to one of the property developers, as he had been conspiring with them so he could relocate the commune. The developer burns the deed while a child from the commune watches behind a tree. Seth asks Linda to leave with him, but she is suspicious of his intentions. One day she goes to a diner to enjoy a steak and finds Carvin there doing the same thing. Joining him, he tells her that Elysium can only bring so much happiness and that people will need other things in life. Meanwhile, George eventually regrets leaving Linda and heads back to Elysium. When he arrives, he and Seth fight before being broken up by Linda who, along with the child, reveals Seth's scheme to sell Elysium. Seth is kicked out and George and Linda reconcile.
In the aftermath, the news show that visited Elysium does a story about the commune. George and Linda start a publishing company, with their first book being a political thriller novel written by Wayne. The novel is then fast-tracked into a film adaptation starring Ray Liotta. Carvin reclaims his rights to Elysium after he is reunited with all the original founders of Elysium, one of whom had another copy of the deed.
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Directed by David Wain
Produced by Judd Apatow
Ken Marino
Paul Rudd
David Wain
Screenplay by David Wain
Ken Marino
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Starring
Paul Rudd
Jennifer Aniston
Justin Theroux
Alan Alda
Malin Åkerman
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Music by Craig Wedren
Cinematography: Michael Bonvillain
Editing by David Moritz
Robert Nassau
Studio: A Hot Dog Productions
Apatow Productions
Relativity Media
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date: February 24, 2012 (United States)
Running time: 98 minutes
Language: English
Budget: $35 million
Box office: $21,450,353
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Cast
Paul Rudd as George
Jennifer Aniston as Linda
Justin Theroux as Seth
Malin Åkerman as Eva
Lauren Ambrose as Almond
Joe Lo Truglio as Wayne Davidson
Alan Alda as Carvin
Kathryn Hahn as Karen
Ken Marino as Rick
Jordan Peele as Rodney
Kerri Kenney-Silver as Kathy
Michaela Watkins as Marisa
Ray Liotta as himself
Zandy Hartig as Marcy
Ian Patrick as Grisham
Patricia French as Beverly
Trisha Paytas as Davidson's wife
Juana Samayoa as Stephanie Davis
Keegan Michael Key as Marcy’s Flunkie
Release
The film was released on February 24, 2012. During its first weekend ending February 26, Wanderlust opened at #8 behind Act of Valor and Tyler Perry's Good Deeds with $6.5 million from 2,002 locations.
Given its poor debut, it was considered a box-office flop. After six weeks, it concluded its theatrical run with a respective domestic and foreign gross of $17,288,155 and $4,162,198.
Reception
The film opened with mixed to positive reviews. Based upon 126 reviews, it received a 60% approval rating
on Rotten Tomatoes. Among 35 top critics, it obtained a 54% approval rating with the consensus saying, "It
isn't always as funny as it should be, but Wanderlust benefits from an extremely talented cast and some of
David Wain's most confident, assured work behind the camera." Audiences gave it an "unimpressive"
B- CinemaScore.
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nice post.
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