MOVIE REVIEW: The Ex

For Mother's Day this Sunday My Mother-In Law, Tamar and myself decided to check out the new Zach Braff flick. It bombed terribly this past weekend, but I kind of liked it. My wife and I are about three months away from our first child, as were Braff and his on-screen wife Amanda Peet in the movie. Some of the baby conversation in the beginning was almost word for word a conversation Tamar and I had about our soon to be bundle of joy. So right off the bat we related to and just really enjoyed the chemistry between the two of them. Yes it was silly, it was a screwball comedy for Christ sake, but there were some truly funny bits. Especially Jason Bateman, he played a monumental cocksucker who just happens to be handicapped, making it hard for anyone to call him on his bullshit.

Tom (Zach Braff) and Sofia (Amanda Peet) are a happily married couple, Sofia is a high powered attorney in NY and Tom is a bit of a journeyman worker. Apparently he has a bullshit detector that gets him in trouble with every job he obtains. His latest job as a chef is over before he can get his big raise. Sofia decides after the baby is born that she wants to be a stay at home Mom and that slacker Tom will have to be the official breadwinner. They decide to move out to the sticks, Ohio to be exact, for Tom to start his new career in advertising with Sofia's goofy Father (Charles Grodin). The ad agency is pretty funny, they are a google esque company where everyone is encouraged to relax at work in a zen like way and pass around invisible balls of inspiration. Tom finds himself a rival with an old sweetheart of Sofia's, Chip (Jason Bateman). Chip decides to mess with Tom in true college frat boy style. He puts Gay Porn on his computer, screws with his desk chair, etc. Of course as I mentioned above Chip is also in a wheelchair which makes it difficult for Tom to accuse him of anything. Meanwhile Sofia tries to settle in as a housewife and finds complications of her own. She has one of the funniest sequences in the film when she joins a group of young mothers and their babies for a class on nurturing the children. These crazy ladies were attempting to get to the bottom of their slobbery children's inner chi or something, it was hilarious especially with a nice random guest spot from Amy Adams who slams Sofia for being a bad mom cause her kid doesn't ever want to smile. You also have some great performances from old SNLr's like Amy Poehler and Fred Armisen.The film is pretty much by the numbers and it did get a little too slapsticky about mid way through, but there are some genuine moments between Sofia and Tom that make it feel less scripted and more real. If you get a chance to see this one in between summer blockbusters I think you should check it out. It makes a fine rental too.

Grade: 3 Buckets