"The Ex"
Rated: PG-13
Starring: Zach Braff, Amanda Peet, Jason Bateman, and Charles Grodin
SUMMARY: A man, fired on the same day his first child is born, is forced to go to work for his wife's wheelchair-bound ex-boyfriend from high school at a less than traditional ad agency.
I'm a huge fan of "Arrested Development" and "Studio 60," and I've seen the occasional episode of "Scrubs." So, when stars from those three shows got together in a movie, I took notice (not to mention Charles Grodin's first film role in 13 years). Problem though: It was only in theaters for about two weeks.
Now, I could expound on the failure of Hollywood to understand the whole "word-of-mouth" philosophy that governed film success for more than fifty years or the incredible and absurd pressure put on films to perform well in the opening weekend (really hard to do against "Spider-Man 3" and "Pirates 3"), but that's not what this review is about.
The premise is fantastic. Just about everyone has an ex. It pretty much stinks to high heaven when your spouse's ex shows up and tries to win her back. Imagine how bad it would be if he was everyone's best friend and paralyzed to boot. You just can't win!
That's the premise.
Problem is, however, that doesn't seem to be the primary story. There are essentially three storylines going on in this movie. First, there's The Ex (Bateman) trying to sabotage Braff and Peet's marriage. Second, there's Braff trying to deal with a job he hates because he has no other way to support is growing family. Finally, there's Peet dealing with being a new full-time mom after being a very successful lawyer. These three stories make up the movie.
The problem arises in the question of which story is the primary story? The title, "The Ex," and the marketing campaign as well, assert that Braff's rivalry with Bateman is the primary story. BUT IT'S NOT. The primary story is Braff, a new father who's in way over his head, trying to find his way to the surface. That's where the drama is, and actually, it's where most of the comedy is, I think. But the rivalry is constantly fighting its way back in which gives the audience an uncomfortable feeling of, "Ok, what exactly is this movie about?"
Don't get me wrong. It was a fun movie. I enjoyed watching it and laughed more than once, but I wish that it could have decided which story it was trying to tell.
Content wise, it was relatively decent. There was sexual dialogue that probably could have been left out, but it wasn't too bad. Also, Peet's character is a new mother, so obviously the logistics of birth and beginning motherhood are brought up.
Language is few and far between. One F-bomb (the official limit for a PG-13 rating, though there are some exceptions) and various "lesser evils." Nudity, none, except for Bateman before a shower, but nothing is seen. Sex is only alluded to or denied (Peet has trouble readjusting after the birth). Oh, there is one scene involving a gay porn video being accidentally pulled up on a computer. No sex, but the men do kiss just before the screen is closed.
Overall, I enjoyed it, but it's not going to appeal to everyone or win any awards.
(WARNING: This review only applies to the PG-13 version. The Unrated DVD version, I have not yet seen.)
OVERALL: 6.5
LANGUAGE: 3
VIOLENCE: 2
GORE: 0.5
SEXUALITY: 3
NUDITY: 2
