Why I Saw It: Because the trailer looked like an SNL Digital Short
Cast: Mark Wahlberg is playing the man-child character that he does best. I won't call it inspired or anything like that, but he is at his most enjoyable. I don't remember Anthony Mackie from anything before this (one look at his IMDB page tells me I have a bad memory). He's pretty funny in this. Dwayne Johnson is absolutely my favorite thing about the movie. He's so innocent, earnest, and menacing. I loved him in this. He is way funnier than I remember him being. I was impressed that I didn't think of Mr. Monk once while watching Tony Shalhoub. He's a slimy unsympathetic victim. Rebel Wilson and Ken Jeong both have limited yet effective parts getting some of the best laughs. Ed Harris and Rob Coddry are pretty generic although they have pretty small roles, so it's forgivable.
Plot: I don't know how much of what happens is actually true. The movie claims the vast majority is, which is absolutely insane. This 'roided-up kidnapping plot and escalation are pretty insane. I think the main thing I have against it is that it goes a little long and drags as a result. The movie has a rotating narration that I actually really liked since it lets you know every character's motivation but doesn't stick with anyone too long to get boring or stale.
Elephant in the Room: It know how ridiculous it looks, right? Yes. It embraces how stupid it is. This is an outright comedy. Make no mistake. This is more like early Michael Bay than Tranformers Michael Bay. The best beats of the movie are the moments when people who hate it will groan the loudest, because the simple fact is, if you don't like what Bay does, this won't change any minds.
Movie Theater MVP: The parents that thought it was a good idea to have a bunch of 10 year-olds see this unsupervised. I'm all for corrupting kids with violence and nudity early. I'm not so much for a bunch of kids yelling out in the middle of the movie. A movie theater isn't your fucking babysitter. Thanks.
To Sum Things Up:
The whole movie is so stupid. I didn't love it, but I have to admit I laughed all the way through and I don't know the last movie I saw that had people laughing at something simply because they didn't know how else they were supposed to respond. It's not everyone's taste. That's for sure.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
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