MovieChat Forums > They Came Together (2014) Discussion > Trope play for a severely limited audien...

Trope play for a severely limited audience

posted 9 years ago by Elemenoh
10 replies | jump to latest

Look, I get that the movie is puncturing Rom-Com tropes. It's as clear as frickin day. What it doesn't do is puncture them in an original or funny way. It reminded me a lot of Tim & Eric, wherein they think the joke is inherent to pointing out the tropes.

That's concept, not execution.

I'm a big fan of David Wain's stuff, and have been since The State. I love Wet Hot American Summer and Role Models. That's why this was so disappointing to me. I expected the premise of the plot to pay off in "beat to beat" laughs and it just didn't.

In my mind, the target audience is one educated/smart enough to get what they're doing, but still enamored with just that concept by itself. So if you're between the ages of 16 and 22, have a blast. To viewers with more experience under their belt, I don't see the appeal.

It's the cinematic equivalent of that kid in your Freshman dorm who used the term "sheeple" and idolized Bill Hicks.

[–] DoctorShemp 9 years ago

Nope, the concept is enough to sustain the movie till the cows come home

[–] Elemenoh 9 years ago

16-22.

[–] Frederic22 9 years ago

This is pretty spot on.

[–] TheBeardedWonder 9 years ago

How I felt too. We all recognize the setup as being tongue in cheek and satirical of rom coms, but they didn't really have anything to say about it beyond 'It's dumb and obvious!' It never really stuck it to them, it just kind of made another while making fun of it. Which sometimes works, but not so much here.

Only good parts were the references to their earlier works (Stella, wet hot American summer, etc) Funny set up and amazing cast, but the writing just wasn't there. And this is coming from a fan of the group...

'Get yourself a real dog. Any dog under 50 lbs is a cat and cats are pointless' - Ron Swanson

[–] Dan_Garten 9 years ago

Interesting.

[–] mugojoe 9 years ago

I'm 40 but enjoyed this movie quite a bit. I laughed a few times and then went outside to mow the lawn and enjoy the rest of my afternoon.

Then again, I don't understand what "It's the cinematic equivalent of that kid in your Freshman dorm who used the term 'sheeple' and idolized Bill Hicks" even means.

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Revolutionow 9 years ago

Let me guess, you're in the 23-26 demo. Just mature enough, right?

[–] Elemenoh 9 years ago

I'm 35. More than old enough to be bored by the same self-referential stuff that appeals to kids who think they're the first to notice trope play.

[–] MarshallStax 9 years ago

Aside from a few gags that really landed and a few subtle ones that didn't call attention to themselves, the OP is spot-on in the lack of laughs. Seemed a bit lazy in conception thought the execution was competent.

All Art is pretense.