Review of American Ultra (2015) by Kevin D — 23 Apr 2016

Marijuana Required.

Following the lines of stoner films like Pineapple Express, American Ultra delivers an action film with some big name actors. However, you'll need to get good and stoned to enjoy this film.

It's got a simple enough plot line. Gas store employee/stoner and all around skinny guy Mike Howell (Eisenburg), with his similar looking and just as mannish girlfriend Phoebe (Stewart), discover that he is a secret CIA super soldier.

Hilarity ensues... kind of.

Actually it was the lack of humor in this film that I found to be the biggest let down. There were very few actual jokes or funny moments, despite being classified as an action-comedy. It starts off very dramatically, when we meet the main character Mike in prison, and being interviewed by some CIA bigwig. The classic in the middle of things beginning flashes back to it's slowly progressing action plot line. I enjoyed the action bits, and they tried to keep it pumped up with lots of bullets and blood (spoon kill!), but there were very few funny moments at all.

As an action guy, Eisenburg's lackluster fighting style emphasizes the fact that it looks like he hasn't ever done a push-up in his life. The characters had pretty terrible banter between each other. It seemed that they were trying to out do each other with sarcastic wit, including the CIA operatives. Topher Grace, who played the major antagonist, came off as some sort of hipster-yuppie-douche despite being the head of a major CIA operation. How that would happen when those personality types don't last a full shift at Taco-Bell is beyond me. Even the title is a lame riff off of the CIA's super-duper ultra-secret 'MK Ultra' mind control program from the 1950's (it's not that secret if wikipedia has a page about it).

Anyway, if you enjoy getting high and watching movies while eating a whole pizza and tub of ice cream, then this might be right up your alley!

...Yes, that was my Friday night...

2/5.