Episode 16: Ian and Cassie talk about the return on “Community” to Yahoo!, the pilot for HBO’s “The Leftovers” and David Wain’s “They Came Together.”

Hi, can I please be friends with both of you? I’m kind of cool and not desperate, I swear. Image via Vanity Fair

I can’t do it. I just…I can’t do it. I can’t…review…They Came Together.

Don’t worry, I haven’t reached my breaking point. I have just found a film that has rendered itself unreviewable. That is not to say that They Came Together is bad or difficult to understand; it is just to say that is so self-aware that at times it won’t feel like you are watching a movie, but rather two idiots with too much imagination pitching their idea for a romantic comedy. And that is not a diss at all.

They Came Together starts with a double date where the story of Joel (Paul Rudd) and Molly’s (Amy Poehler) relationship goes on for a very long time, and turns out to be just like “a corny romantic comedy.” Thus, they proceed to tell the story of the worst romantic comedy possible. They Came Together tries to be bad, and that is what makes it so good.

For that reason, I feel like an ordinary review would not work here. So here is a long of jumble of thoughts on They Came Together:

This is the MacGruber of romantic comedies: They Came Together is a very specific kind of parody, in that it is both self-aware and unaware. The dinner table conversations are a way to tell the audience to be in on the joke. The flashbacks play it completely straight. They Came Together is an experiment in only using cliches to construct a plot.

They must have had to watch a lot of rom-coms They Came Together feels like it was made by people who have seen way too many romantic comedies, and that is why it usually works so well.

The humor They Came Together comes from the much of the comedy team involved in The State and Wet Hot American Summer. Their sense of humor is based less on jokes and more on absolute absurdity. The dead body in the pile of leaves might just induce the most laughs per capita.

The best point about romantic comedies They Came Together made me realize why rom-coms can never imitate real life: it is because every character and situation is just meant to service the two romantic leads. Every other character is just there to either stop them, support them (such as the sassy sidekick), or provide a miscellaneous piece of information (like David Wain’s office drone who purposefully is not around for any other reason). The rom-com might be the most selfish genre out there.

Amy Poehler What a great lady. She plays both the ditz and the MPDG at the same time and with such ease as well. The surprise on Molly’s face when Joel tells her he also loves fiction books is priceless. I also like the idea that this is a world where, well, not too many people seem to like fiction.

Am I watching I Love You, Man? Don’t get me wrong here, I am a huge fan of I Love You, Man. this 2009 bromance starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel gets better on repeat viewings. It wasn’t until I watched They Came Together that I realized how many rom-com tropes are in I Love You, Man. The big brother/little brother dynamic in They Came Together felt right out of I Love You, Man. If Paul Rudd is intentionally trying to make fun of himself, then good for him for being a good sport about it.

Playing it straight They Came Together has a surprising amount of dramatic moments and they all manage to be hilarious. That is because they are played completely straight and strangely, the more genuine they are, the funnier they manage to be. Nobody understands movie cliches like these guys do.

A Room reference? David Wain and Paul Rudd were two of the earliest supporters of The Room before it became the cult classic that it is today. I wouldn’t be surprised if the scene in which Rudd and Jason Mantzoukas throw around a football in the office is an homage to that scene in The Room where they toss around the pigskin while wearing tuxedos.

One thing I had trouble with There’s a scene where Paul Rudd goes to visit his Bubee. It is not the Jewish stereotypes I had trouble with (I loved those), but…welll…you’ll see. It just left me feeling kind of weird afterwards, but I think that was the point. It just felt kind of out of place in a film that otherwise chooses all of its scenes and little moments very wisely.

How this ranks in the David Wain filmography This does not reach Wet Hot American Summer or Role Models levels, and I have not seen Wanderlust yet so I cannot compare it. Like Wet Hot, this is an absurd and very specific parody that has the makings of a future classic. I look forward to watching it again soon.

Why we watch romantic comedies I would like to discuss a little moment towards the end. It is hardly a spoiler, because for a movie like this, spoilers would be ruining the best jokes (which I have tried my best not to do). Basically, the moment I am thinking of shows that the story of Joel and Molly is actually much darker than they make it out to be. But they would rather tell this corny rom-com version. This is why rom-coms exist: it is so much easier, and much nicer, to tell a story where true love exists and only comes with easily avoidable obstacles. I like to rip on romantic comedies a lot, but I am not against this idea of more positive storytelling.

Overall, They Came Together is the kind of film that I wish there was more of this summer movie season.

Here’s where I would make a Kroll Show reference if any of you watched it. Image via Salon

I hate to say it, but summer movies make me feel more and more cynical by the day. It is a bad sign when “good enough” seems like the nicest thing you can say about any given movie.

Sometimes, it feels like Hollywood has lost so much faith in itself that it needs to have a million different voices contributing to just one project. Just look at The Amazing Spider-Man 2: it feels like every person on the Sony lot, from a top studio executive to a random janitor, got to contribute their ideas to the final product. Plus, with all of the sequels and remakes coming out, it feels like there isn’t a single authentic voice left in Hollywood anymore. I have no interest in seeing another superhero movie again, and I will repeat that to myself begrudgingly while buying a ticket for X-Men: Days of Future Past. Hey, it is good enough.

While not all original ideas are good (see: In Your Eyes), I nevertheless appreciate and celebrate every time film embraces something new, as opposed to something that can be turned into a toy six months before the movie actually comes out. There are some films to be excited about this summer, and I would like to take some time to acknowledge them. Here is a list I have compiled of five upcoming films that celebrate good ideas and likable people. Here are five upcoming summer films that might make all of the cynicism go away:

5. Magic in the Moonlight (July 25)

Personal issues aside, a new Woody Allen film is always an exciting event for me. There are certain “best of” lists I make that I have to build around one of his films. Even when Allen is not at his best (*cough* To Rome with Love *cough*), he always makes something at least worth a few extra thoughts once the final credits roll. Plus, I am not going to argue with a cast that includes Colin Firth and Emma Stone.

4. Life Itself (July 4)

Just as any aspiring critic will tell you, Roger Ebert is a hero of mine. He taught everybody that criticism could be as thoughtful and creative as the creative works that you are critiquing. Life Itself, a documentary based on Ebert’s autobiography of the same name, recounts his larger-than-life experiences. It seems like everyday film criticism loses relevance, as more and more people who write reviews for a living get laid off by people who just don’t get it. Ebert’s death last year was the sad end of an era. Roger Ebert was the first celebrity critic ever. Yet, he never resorted to soundbites or pulled quotes. Here is somebody who only wrote exactly what he felt. Maybe he wasn’t always right, but he always made a good point.

3. Boyhood (July 11)

Richard Linklater’s latest film received rave reviews when it debuted at Sundance earlier this year. In order to accurately capture the aging of the lead child actor, Linklater filmed Boyhood in bits and pieces over a 12 year period. This idea is so interesting and ambitious and proves that Linklater is secretly one of America’s most innovative filmmakers. Remember, this is the same dude that also directed Dazed & Confused, School of Rock, and Bernie. Linklater defies formula, and therefore no two of his films are the same. Each one is its own, unique little snowflake. Now, excuse me while I slap myself in the face for writing that sentence.

2. Obvious Child (June 6)

I have watched the trailer for Obvious Child multiple times because it makes me indescribably happy. It may be crazy that this is the only way I felt over an indie dramedy about abortion that looks like it may take an even darker turn than Juno did. Part of my excitement might come from the fact that it stars Richard Kind as a father figure. Or more importantly, Obvious Child will allow America’s newest sweetheart Jenny Slate to show off acting chops. But more importantly, there’s gonna be pee-farting. Any film that takes on a serious topic while taking a moment to joke about pee-farting deserves all of the love and praise in the world.

1. They Came Together (June 27)

It may be fitting that my number one choice for this list is a takedown of what has become one of the most cynical genres out there: the romantic comedy. They Came Together will hopefully prove once again why the geniuses behind The State/Wet Hot American Summer/Stella are still a force to be reckoned with. They Came Together also happens to star America’s two other sweethearts, Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler, who make anything more likable just by showing up. The trailer itself is hilarious, and it makes me fear that they are giving away all of the best scenes before I even get a chance to watch the full film. However, if Role Models (also directed by David Wain) taught me anything, it’s that this comedy crew’s best material is so absurd that it simply would not work in a trailer. If They Came Together makes getting a football thrown in your face ironic on multiple levels, then I have a feeling this will be the best comedy of the summer.