Review of Why Him? (2016) by Pipec — 22 Jan 2017

Give It An Opportunity? Why Not?

Romantic comedy has been one of the most harmed film genres in this new era of anodyne artistic revolutions; nowadays, the lucky ones which achieve to lay out unprecedented circumstances are practically non-exist, mixtures are radically away from Judd Apatow' and company's instauration a few years ago, where scatological humor and sarcastic gags were available.Once British people determined the official romcoms prescription, western people sought to make the same thing coming up with more American subjects ("Meet the Parents").In 2016, love story full-length films for couples had no prestigious presence whatsoever, and despite the fact that it is not a resurgence of the genre, Jonah Hill's movie wins audience's hearts through the essential of the plot, irrigating superb comical situations (with lascivious content on the top), pointing out ineluctable generational switchings and exhibiting modern technologies impact in order to get a laugh more than ever.

Not every day we have the possibility to see how Bryan Cranston endures mercilessly in a technological toilet, a foreign hygienic body system (used after urination or defecation) controlled through your smartphone, a place where 'toilet paper' expression does not exist; not every day we have a female personal assistant (with own individualities) in Kaley Cuoco's voice ("The Big Bang Theory"), and much less we can see Megan Mullally trying to have impulsive sexual relations with her husband under the influence of marijuana, only by these three constituents, value of the ticket is worth.

"Why Him?," set up by the experts in the field, John Hamburg ("Along Came Polly"), Jonah Hill ("Sausage Party") and Ian Helfer ("The Oranges"), fails to formulate something necessarily different in father-vs.-fiancé or parent-child stories, with the abnormality that in these changeable times, bride's dad is not the domineering, but he is the dominated. And that's exactly what makes it an interesting and even welcome idea. Despite the fact that it presents a lack of brand-new elements, it does not destroy or deteriorate genre reusing expressions, moreover, generates hilarious conjunctions, encouraging mostly by a magnificent James Franco and a sumptuous Cranston. After they glimpse in a peculiar way to the guy who is dating their daughter Stephanie (Zoey Deutch) -who has spent several years attending Stanford University, -Ned and Barb Fleming, a deferential and American old-fashioned parents, decide to visit her along with their younger son on the occasion of passing a beautiful Christmas eve in family. Although they've had already a first (incorrect) impression, the only thing what happens when arriving at the mansion of his new son-in-law is to see in flesh and blood how their fears come true, what would be translated as the worst nightmare for a father.Laird Mayhew, played by Franco, is a spoiled son of Sillicon Valley, creator and owner of a mobile games company, he is a man with good intentions but socially small-minded who aims to win the hearts of his in-laws and his younger brother-in-law through gifts of big media relevance from Steve Aoki, Elon Musk to Richard Blais, nonetheless, his 'no filter' personality will make holiday season into a full enjoyment.

Ensconce yourself in your seat with fresh popcorn and a glass of your favorite soda, relax, overlook the pubic hair of Franco in the opening scene and prepare for a fun Christmas journey.