For all the talk about movies being supplanted by cable TV series, this big-screen debut from Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner proves that writing a feature film is a lot harder than it looks. A perpetually stoned TV weatherman in Annapolis (Owen Wilson) heads out to Amish country with his oafish bong buddy (Zach Galifianakis) after the latter learns that his wealthy father has died; the son inherits most of the father’s estate, which enrages his uptight sister (Amy Poehler), and the two friends vy for the love of the father’s young widow (Melissa Rauch, playing the kind of smart, offbeat dish that Don Draper always goes for). Wilson and Galifianakis have no trouble negotiating either the dramatic moments or Weiner’s wish-I’d-said-that dialogue, but the character concerns are so muddled that neither actor can break away from his screen persona.
Are You Here
R • 1 hour 52 min • 2014
