Review of Nerdland (2016) by Kevin P — 18 Sep 2018

Strengths: It's hard to not appreciate the voice cast in this movie. Paul Rudd (John) is the lead and somehow manages to be as charming as we always expect, even in animated form. Patton Oswalt (Elliot) does well as his friend, while Katie Micucci (Sally) and Riki Lindhome (Linda) are strong as the girls they like. The real scene stealer is Hannibal Buress (Nerd King). Not only is his character funny, but his delivery is always on point. The art throughout this movie is strange. I mean that in somewhat of a good way. It's not aesthetically pleasing, but it's unique.

Weaknesses: As noted, the art in this animated film is rough looking. The characters just look strange and the surrounding settings just look lazy. I know that was the idea behind it all, but it still looks rough. For a comedy, most of the characters aren't very funny. They come across as obnoxious and unlikable. You can't really root for them because there's just no reason to. The situations they're put on don't add a lot in terms of comedy either. It's just a seemingly endless barrage of immature jokes that don't land. Though it runs for less than an hour and a half, it feels closer to two hours because it drags at several points.

Overall: Talented people like Rudd and Buress shouldn't be subjected to scripts like this. I appreciated the unique art style and the work done by the cast, but the movie is simply not funny.