Review of Get a Job (2016) by Kevin P — 16 Dec 2017

Strengths: Coming into this, I only knew Miles Teller (Will) and Anna Kendrick (Jillian) were the leads. That's enough to get me interested, as both are stellar. However, the supporting cast is filled with top notch names. Bryan Cranston (Roger), Alison Brie (Tanya), Brandon T. Jackson (Luke) and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Ethan) are all very talented actors. Brie and Cranston stand out in their roles. That's not to mention the minor roles for people like John Cho, John C. McGinley, Jorge Garcia and Jay Pharoah. The chemistry between Cranston and Teller as father and son was a highlight. The movie doesn't take itself too seriously and that works in its favor.

Weaknesses: There are several weaknesses, but I want to point out that I'm surprised it was so poorly received. There are TONS of worse comedies. Right off the bat, as good as the cast is, a lot of them don't get a lot to work with. Kendrick particularly feels wasted without much of a story arc. I think more attention should've been paid to her character over some of the subplots involving Will's friends. They felt unnecessary and hurt the flow of the story. Honestly, Ethan and Charlie could've been cut out and I would've been fine with it. There are also some issues with the camera cuts at points. It's jarring and random, taking some of the fun out of things.

Overall: Not the kind of film that stands out, though not bad at all. Though it has a few plot problems, it never feels like a waste of time and is so short, it's okay to sit through the issues. I had fun watching it and that's all that matters sometimes. The tremendous cast is what makes this worth seeking out.