Ever since his directorial debut of Garden State, I have been an avid Zach Braff fan. I liked him on Scrubs, loved him in State, thought The Last Kiss was great, and really enjoyed his vocal work in Chicken Little (although the movie itself left a lot to be desired). So when The Ex was finally set to be released, I obviously looked forward to seeing it. And while he was great as always, the movie was a bit off from his other works.
The Ex revolves around Tom (Braff), who jumps from job to job as he prepares for the birth of his first child with wife Sofia (Amanda Peet). After getting fired from a promising job, he decides that the new family should move back to where Sofia's parents live, and take up the job that Sofia's father Bob (Charles Grodin) has always been offering. But after he takes the position, he gets paired off with hotshot paraplegic Chip (Jason Bateman), who just happens to be Sofia's friend and lover in high school, and is really not too keen on Tom.
The plot may sound contrived, but the final product is a bit of a mish-mash of great, and not so great ideas.
On the side of being great are the hilarious performances from Braff and Bateman. Although he is more of a madcap screwball here, Braff still delivers a poignancy to the role. In a way, it felt a bit more mature than his work in State and Kiss, as he is no longer dealing in existential phobias. Here, he is more of a man without a plan, and he gives it his all. He has his hysterical moments, and he has his moments of pure drama. And all, for the most part, work great. You can see the obvious traces of his other characters, but he makes this character much more than just another shade of Andrew Largeman. Bateman on the other hand, steals the show as Braff's nemesis. His quick changing gears from nice, ambitious guy to a cold and calculating ego-centric sociopath is intriguing to watch, and delivers the majority of the laughs throughout the film. And even at the most ridiculous times, Bateman stays straight-laden, and never gives into any other feelings but that of his character.
Also on the great side are amusing character performances from Grodin, Mia Farrow (as Sofia's mother), and Fred Armisen as Tom and Chip's co-worker Manny. All do great in their small roles, and make for some really funny interactions with Braff and Bateman.
The script also offers a great story (albeit not very deeply intellectual), with plenty of moral overtones. While it could have just been a simple revenge-style flick, it does tend to open itself up a bit more with a few subplots. And while at least one seems a bit useless, the majority all tie in quite nicely, and make for great development of characters. As said previously, it has some pretty hysterical moments, and a few chuckle filled moments in-between.
But the laughs do not last for the length of the entire movie. There are long dry spells where nothing funny happens, and instead, just leave room for either cringing or a begging of patience for the next joke. The subplots work yes, but there are a few that feel tacked on just to stretch out the running time, as if the filmmakers knew that what they had would not cut it, so they ordered a few extensions. And some of these sequences feel rather painfully obvious where they have been placed, but some feel right at home and would not be looked at any different had they not been tacked on. Some of the characters are a bit extraneous as well (specifically Amy Adams as a rival mother to Peet), while others just look like they drifted in from off the street looking for work because their last TV gig did not work out all too well. Thankfully, the majority of these bit players are alright in their small roles, but nonetheless, feel a bit like a reunion of failed television series actors.
Another problem is with the tone of the script. It jumps around far too often, never settling on whether it wants to be a Farrelly Brothers-esquire madcap comedy, or a darkly twisted Coen Brothers-style comedy. The scenes just do not all jive together, and much like the subplots, feel like they were tacked on during production. While the story works cohesively, the comedic moments just feel awkward in some places. I can laugh at anything, so it did not bug me totally. But for anyone looking for just some lighthearted fun at the movies, it may turn out to be a problem.
As well, Peet feels out of place. Although she is younger than Bateman and just slightly older than Braff, her character acts far too mature to interact with either of them. They both are out of her league, and when she is trying to display emotions suggesting thoughts to the contrary, they just do not work. I know her character is supposed to be more than just a stay-at-home mother, but she just looks and acts too old for the part she is supposed to be playing. And of course, her character is fodder for many mentions that never come to fruition. She is just far too serious and stern for the material, and when she is not trying her best not to show it, she just looks like a snob acting solely for a paycheque.
Although there are problems with it, The Ex does have its great moments, and has some very funny performances from Braff and Bateman (not to mention the first role for Charles Grodin in well over a decade). Just do not go in expecting another complex and intricate Braff comedy.
7/10.
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