Review of At Middleton (2013) by Nathan M — 20 Apr 2014

Or Dharma and Greg Go To College...

This is nothing more than an unfunny Odd Couple film that has a few solid moments from Garcia and the two Farmiga's. Unfortunately the only thing that makes this film watchable is also what ruins any comedic moment. Both Garcia and Farmiga play caricatures of the usual "odd couple" roles that all of the comedy doesn't come out of a genuine place. Instead it all feels forced, and, therefore, completely unfunny. The romance doesn't work either, because it's completely unbelievable. Writer/director Adam Rogers doesn't convince you that these two people have had enough time to move past the other people in their lives, and cling on to each other. Even if they're both going through a pivotal moment in their life, you don't believe they would be drawn to each other.

Luckily, there are still a couple of moments where the characters live up to the potential the two powerhouse actors bring to the roles. One scene, in particular, when Garcia and Farmiga are in an acting class, and begin to share their deepest fears and desires, although completely forced and contrived, carries the film out of boredom. But only for a moment, because Rogers lets everything fall back into convention, and the movie continues to slog on.

This is another film that if you were stuck in a hotel room on a rainy vacation day you might find some merit in the film, but anyone who has anything better to do with their day probably will be bored with this film.