I just saw this film on Friday, the 8th of January, and it delivered in so many ways. My only criticism of the film is it's reliance on drug taking, particularly the 'shroom scenes. Just because, not everyone in society has done 'shrooms so they probably wouldn't be able to relate to anything the characters go through when they take them. And while the movie portrays Michael Cera's character's experience as light-hearted and whimsical, shroom experiences, at least speaking for myself, are far from being light-hearted and whimsical. They're heavy drugs as far as I'm concerned and the film almost makes you think otherwise and I might come off as preachy when I say this but it's highly irresponsible to portray taking mushrooms as such, given the influence that movies can have on young people who unfortunately may become super curious of taking them if they haven't already done so. All I can say is, don't take too much if you are going to go that route and avoid hanging out with lame asses if you are, please don't drive when you're on them, and I think you should be okay.
So why did I give the movie a 7? I like the film's "take me or leave me" attitude. What I mean by that is, it doesn't over exert itself to be liked. I mean sure it does make references to I guess what "hip" teenagers and adults seem to like i.e. records versus cd's, Serge Gainsbourg, vintage threads, 3D papercraft/cut-out animation, and stop motion puppetry, but it doesn't beg to be liked which I found quite refreshing.
And most importantly why I enjoyed this movie was because at it's heart, it's a touching love story, which is completely believable, sincere, and totally relatable as well. Females do in fact subject men to various "tests" for them to prove their feelings for them and we as men do in fact oblige, even if the consequences of such actions prove to be disastrous.
And the underlying message I got was to follow your heart, which so many of us as we get older seem to forget.
Plus with choice performances from veteran actors such as Jean Smart, Steve Buscemi, Fred Willard, Ray Liotta, M. Emmett Walsh, and Mary Kay Place and kooky character roles filled by Zach Galifianakis and Justin Long, what's not to like about this film?
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