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They Came Together
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Lions Gate Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Ethan Stevenson (24th August 2014). |
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The Film
 “Wow, your story really is like a corny movie.” “I know. The only difference is, it’s not a movie. It’s our real life.” She (Amy Poehler) is Molly: cute, clumsy, and owner of a struggling independent candy store. Recently single, she’s sworn off a relationship with anyone other than New York City himself—herself? Itself? Regardless, its an important character in the story, too. The third most important. She’s more interested in New York than her romantically-included accountant (Ed Helms) He (Paul Rudd) is Joel: handsome, but in a nonthreatening way, vaguely but not overtly Jewish, and a drone at the Corporate Candy Company that’s putting mom and pop shops across the country out of business. Recently single, he’s hopelessly hung up on his ex-girlfriend (Cobie Smulders), not that the ex has any interest in him beyond torture anymore. But then she came. He came. They came. And through hardship—from their initial meet-hate on a street corner, Halloween night, where they both dressed in the same Ben Franklin costume, and a will-they-won’t they complicated by their candy-related careers—they stayed... Together. As a double date with another, married, couple (Bill Hader and Ellie Kemper) winds down over one too many bottles of wine, the conversation casually turns to how Molly and Joel met each other and fell in love. They laugh, telling their companions they don’t want to hear it, and wouldn’t believe it even if they did, because their story is like some corny romantic comedy. The married couple insists; by night’s end they’ll wish they hadn’t, held hostage by a story as contrived and hackneyed as the most cliche-ridden rom-com, except for the odd moment where it’s uncomfortably rude, crude, and seemingly relishing in the warped sensibilities an unrestrained "R" rating allows (probably the rudest and crudest is a moment where a grown man shits himself.) Delivered with a smirk and brief winking side-eye to the camera, nearly every line of dialog spoken by the characters in the sick-yet-sweetly-titled “They Came Together” is laced not only with self-aware irreverence but thick, slightly salty sarcasm. “They Came Together” should not be taken as a rom-com on its face—sight beyond the intentionally soppy one sheet unseen, where the stars look lovingly in the eyes of the other, each sporting a toothy head-to-the-side grin. Instead, understand it’s a parody of rom-coms; a satire even, from the guys who made cult-classics that maybe ten people saw originally but a growing group now love, like “The State” (1993-1995) and “Wet Hot American Summer” (2001). It was in the wake of the latter, before “Summer” bombed at the box office, that director/writer David Wain and writer/producer Michael Showalter first set out to make their scathing-but-silly send-up to the romantic comedy. They intended to make a genre parody that was a kind of sketch-heavy cinematic remix, twisting the tropes, contorting the cliches and the conventions, even lifting whole sequences shot-for-shot, direct from the likes of “When Harry Met Sally” (1989), “The Shop Around the Corner” (1940) and its once more modern—and now terribly dated—remake, “You’ve Got Mail” (1998). And, yes, other films that aren’t related in some way to Meg Ryan. But the underperformance of “Wet Hot American Summer” shot down any chance of finding a studio interested in Wain and Showalter’s rom-com parody, and the project was shelved for nearly a decade. Over the years, Showalter turned more to acting, or writing with Michael Ian Black, and Wain signed on to produce television series for friends (Showalter and Black’s “Stella” (2005); Rob Corddry’s “Children’s Hospital” (2008-Present)) and write and direct several studio comedies, including the quirky but to unfocused and largely disappointing “Wanderlust” (2012), a genuine rom-com starring Jennifer Aniston, where Paul Rudd played a man not nearly as enamored with life in a hippy commune as his wife is. And yet, after each individual project was completed or more likely cancelled, Showalter and Wain always returned to their plucky rom-com parody, occasionally performing it live with friends in their lengthy rewriting process. Injecting broader parody and a more sincere (if knowing) structure into a reference-packed original story, the project morphed into something expectedly bizarre, in a way circling back to capture the finest qualities of the filmmaker's sharpest production, the literal camp comedy “Wet Hot American Summer”, and have created their best work since that film, which is to say something very strange. “They Came Together” is sometimes too smart for its own good, deconstructing screenwriting rules—seemingly introducing characters just so they can bring them back in one of the most insane cameo packed climaxes in recent memory—and throwing out references to genre entries (particularly a fun take on the famous subtitled scene in Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” (1977)) so far removed from the current cinematic climate that one has to wonder who the intended audience really is. It's too stupid a film too, rife with ridiculous slapstick, intentionally idiotic characters, and madcap moments that seem to only serve the haphazard skit suddenly side-barring the overarching story. Extremely literal lines, repetitious to the point of revulsion, and every single cloying trick and track of the usual show suggest this is a conventional studio rom-com and at the same prove why it isn’t. The constant mugging at the camera, every parodic pratfall, deadpan delivery and out of sync timing, bumbled and jumbled exchange of dialog where characters twist plain comments into terrible puns—if not outright unintelligible nonsense. Each and every gag grabs out at the audience, shaking them into an aware-state, playacting and then punishing anyone enjoying the cliché construction of the genre. The coming together and casting of Poehler and Rudd is the greatest asset of this film. In a very practical sense, it was only when Poehler and Rudd signed on that the project found funding and a distributor. But from a comedic standpoint, dragging the actors together was a subtly subversive casting coup, and adds another layer to Wain and Showalter’s meta-satire. Both actors could, should, and even have headlined their own rom-coms in recent years. A few of these rom-coms were even played almost totally straight—ironically, in the case of Rudd’s own “I Love You, Man” (2008), a decidedly bromantic offering about the love two heterosexual men have for each other. But more importantly, the co-starring couple have the right chemistry to make the ups and down of the uneven and occasionally very weird film, like their character’s relationship, worth it in the end. They really do play off each other in a Ryan-and-Hanks-in-the-90's sort of way, and the film has all the pieces of a sincere rom-com, only they’re arranged in an order as to deliberately draw attention to the artifice. I imagine, as has been the case of nearly anything from the mind of Showalter and Wain—Wain's Rudd-starring “Role Models” (2008) is perhaps the closest thing to a mainstream success either has ever had—there will be more than a few who are beyond baffled by this film. And I pity anyone who picks the production out of a rental kiosk expecting a serious take; as serious as a conventional rom-com can be, anyway. But if you can stomach a surreal sequence randomly introduced into the middle of the film, where Rudd and Poehler step out of character to play themselves, alongside her “Parks and Recreation” (2009-Present) co-stars and some of his friends, to listen to Norah Jones, playing herself, laying down the lyrics to an original track used in the preceding scene’s relationship montage, and then nod along to a commercial for the film’s soundtrack now available for download on iTunes… if any of that sounds like you’re cup o’ Joe(l), well, then, “They” might be for you.
Video
The 1080p high definition AVC MPEG-4 encoded transfer of “They Came Together” doesn’t get much better than the scenes set in Molly’s candy-colored sweet shoppe, with its walls coated and containers cast in a literal rainbow of bright and bold hues, particularly lime greens and bubblegum pinks. The fine detail on display is absolutely fantastic in the checker-patterned floor; cross-hatched wallpaper; the tight zebra stripping of the shop-girl’s dresses; each individual jellybean, gumdrop, and whatever conceivable bit of intricate or ornately constrained candies, from jarred jawbreakers to other canned confectionery. Most other scenes are less impressive if almost always satisfying, switching and shifting style with the particular point of reference. A dinner date is lensed in an intentionally soft, warm, golden glow, with glossy textures, blooming and almost streaking lamp-light lens flares, and beautiful shallow-focus bokeh. Others are less romantic, with the chaotic handheld camerawork of a basketball game a little grittier. A handful of shots are simply flat and bland, betraying the coarse artificiality of pedestrian digital cinematography. Captured with the almost omnipresent Arri Alexa, the Blu-ray is a direct-from-digital transfer; compression is competent, with no obvious artifacts or other issues. The widescreen framing has been opened up from the theatrical 1.85:1 to the native 1.78:1 shape of the Alexa’s sensor. The difference between the two ratios is negligible, even unnoticeable, except for the curious fact some of the deleted scenes in the supplements are presented in 1.85:1 with thin bars on the top and bottom. The behind-the-scenes gag, with Norah Jones and the cast supposedly out of character, and the commercial for the film’s soundtrack in that same segment, are framed in wider 2.40:1 with appropriate letterboxing.
Audio
Lionsgate has encoded “They Came Together” with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track (48kHz/24-bit). True to its romantic comedy stylings, the most immersive and impressive moment in the soundtrack isn’t even in the film, but the DTS vanity reel before the opening credits. The rest of the track is fittingly flat with a dialog-heavy and front focused mix. Several montages set to a soundtrack of inoffensive adult-contemporary and indie pop/folk let the music seep into the surrounds. The track has very little bass to speak of, and is mostly a modest and uninspired experience. Even in lossless the mix has little to offer beyond general clarity and (sometimes-debatably) intelligible dialogue. A Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 dub and optional English and Spanish subtitles are also included.
Extras
“They Came Together” pairs up with a more serious supplemental package than expected: an audio commentary, lengthy making of featurette, even longer table read featurette, more than 30 minutes of deleted scenes, plus theatrical trailers and an HD digital copy. The disc is authored with optional bookmarks and the resume playback function. The audio commentary with director/writer David Wain and producer/co-writer Michael Showalter is surprisingly serious manages a light affable tone. The two offer some general background on their previous films and television series together, how “They” came to be, striking the right balance between parody and sarcasm and sincerity, the narrative conventions and cliches of the rom-com genre, their cast and crew, the cameos, some of their favorite jokes and even offer insight into the creation of several scenes. Of most interest is their discussion about post-production, where the film was refined in the edit suite, and how screenings and the additional framing device of the double-date dinner with Poehler/Rudd and Kemper/Hader changed the film into a more obvious parody and completely reshaped the narrative (in their opinion for the better). “The All Came Together” (1.78:1, 1080p; 23 minute 53 seconds) is a surprisingly fertile featurette with Wain, Showalter, Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Bill Hader and others joining in an unexpectedly exhaustive making of. Hader, who has transitioned to a career as a historian and sometimes-host of a classic cinema series on Turner Classic Movies, likens Wain and Showalter’s film as David & Jerry Zucker or Mel Brooks meets the “f*ck it” mentality of Robert Altman. Yeah, okay… Anyway, the robust runtime staves off the premature climax of most EPK's, and this plain but enthusiastic performer offers a satisfying look at the origins and stylistic evolution of the film during the decade-long gestation to screen. As is often the case, some overlap with the commentary occurs, but there’s enough here—including Wain talking about a few of the deleted scenes—that makes up for any repeated anecdote. “San Francisco Sketchfest Table Read” (1.78:1, 1080p; 1 hour 43 minutes 50 seconds) is a featurette with the cast and crew doing a live read through of the script. Showalter discusses the origins of the script and the various drafts before he is joined by the others on stage. The piece was recorded January of 2012, with a low-quality camera and the sound is disappointingly subpar. A bloated collection deleted scenes and outtakes (1.85:1/1.78:1, 1080p; 34 minutes 22 seconds) are also included. Wain has become somewhat notorious for the amount of footage he shoots, only for a majority of it to end up on the cutting room floor. Lest anyone forget, there was a completely different, feature-length version of “Wanderlust” (2012), appropriately dubbed the Bizarro Cut, made up of alternate takes, deleted subplots, and failed gags offered as a supplement on that film’s Blu-ray release. While the material removed from “They Came Together” may not offer enough for a whole other film, and occasionally verges on the equally excessive, some of the scenes here are quite funny. The original theatrical trailer (1.78:1, 1080p; 2 minutes 23 seconds) is also included. Pre-menu bonus trailers are included for: - “Girl Most Likely” (1.78:1, 1080p; 1 minute 50 seconds). - “The Switch” (2.40:1, 1080p; 2 minute 31 seconds). - “My Man Is A Loser” (1.78:1, 1080p; 1 minute 34 seconds). - “Draft Day” (1.78:1, 1080p; 1 minute 49 seconds). - EpixHD promo (2.40:1, 1080p; 1 minute 34 seconds). An HD digital copy of the film is also included.
Packaging
“They Came Together” on Blu-ray, from Lionsgate Home Entertainment, is packaged in an eco-elite keep case with a cardboard slip-cover in first pressings. The dual layered BD-50 is locked to Region A.
Overall
“They Came Together” is never as raunchy as its title playfully suggests, but it is often as funny; and perhaps even as clever, at least some of the time. It’s also wildly uneven, not to mention a satire of a genre much too often already affected with unintentional self-parody. Poehler and Rudd are great though, and have the right chemistry to make the ups and down of the film, like their character’s relationship, worth it in the end. The Blu-ray release offers colorful and competent video, faithfully uninspired audio, and a bounty of extras more serious than expected. Recommended, especially for fans of Wain and Showalter’s earlier work. Even genre aficionados fed up with the stale slate of recent rom-coms, looking for a sarcastic send-up, should give “They Came Together” a shot to cleanse the bitter aftertaste of one too many.
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