In writer-director John Hamburg's crude, crass comedy about an uptight father meeting his daughter's obnoxious boyfriend, Stanford student Stephanie Fleming (Zoey Deutch) is in love with 32-year-old Laird Mayhew (James Franco), an unconventional, narcissistic video game mogul. Now, her Midwestern parents are coming to California for Christmas. Her doting father Ned (Bryan Cranston) and overprotective mother (Megan Mullally) have no idea that Stephanie has moved in with profanity-spewing Laird until they—along with Stephanie's teenage brother (Griffin Gluck)—arrive at his Xanadu-like mansion in Palo Alto. Laird's zany estate is managed by his trainer Gustav (Keegan-Michael Key) and a disembodied computer guru (Kaley Cuoco). Laird's wealth is even more galling to Ned, whose old-fashioned printing business in Michigan is rapidly failing. Unfortunately, since Stephanie's character is so underwritten, the viewer feels no empathy for her choosing outlandishly eccentric and shrewdly manipulative Laird, and many of the gags are telegraphed in advance in this blatantly raunchy and only occasionally amusing misfire. Optional, at best. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director John Hamburg, co-writer Ian Helfer, and editor William Kerr, deleted scenes (31 min.), a gag reel (10 min.), the behind-the-scenes featurettes “47 Minutes on the Can” (7 min.), “Barb Fleming: America's Mom” (6 min.), “Why Gustav?” (5 min.), “Lou the Entertainer” (5 min.), and “Richard Blais: Twisted Chef” (2 min.), and a photo gallery. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a mostly lackluster comedy.] (S. Granger)
Why Him?
Fox, 111 min., R, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $39.99, Mar. 28 Volume 32, Issue 1
Why Him?
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