Mimi Rogers

An unapologetically silly movie that manages to hit the right notes, this free-wheeling comedy makes up for its corny premise with sharp writing and acting. And as it keeps the audience laughing, it's also quietly finding some rather intriguing things to say about masculinity in American society. Thankfully, preaching a message is never this film's intention. And both Kevin Hart and Josh Gad bring so much charm and energy to their roles that they instantly become a movie duo we'd like to see together again and again.

Gad plays Doug, the nervous groom preparing for his wedding to Gretchen (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting), a girl far hotter than he ever imagined he'd get for a wife. But Doug has no friends who are willing to be his best man and groomsmen, so he turns to his wedding planner (Serricchio) for help getting in touch with an underground service that provides them. Enter Jimmy (Hart), the fast-talking, quick-thinking best man for hire who assembles a hilariously rag-tag group of "friends" as groomsmen. As they indulge in some condensed bonding so they can convince everyone they're best pals, these guys actually begin to have fun together. And Doug begins to hope that maybe this isn't just a professional partnership.

Yes, what we have here is a bromance between Doug and Jimmy, two friendless guys who discover that maybe together they can change their lives. Filmmaker Jeremy Garelick never tries to obscure the standard rom-com structure, and the simple plot is utterly predictable, but there are surprising currents of comedy and emotion running everywhere. Hart and Gad manage to bring out all kinds of riotous humour, underlying insecurities and general comic mayhem in each scene. Hart's cocky run-on dialogue is hilarious, and matched perfectly by Gad's gung-ho physicality. But even more intriguing are the darker layers beneath the silly surface. And everything is livened up by a raucously ridiculous supporting cast, including veterans Ken Howard and Mimi Rogers as Gretchen's too-intense parents and an underused Cloris Leachman as her bedraggled granny.

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Colourful direction and sparky performances help make this friendship comedy watchable, although it never seems like a finished film. Instead, we feel like we're watching the first rehearsal for a much better movie. It manages to charm us along the way, but it's never as funny or sexy as it tries to be.

When his two best pals have housing problems, gay New York comic Jesse (Long) suggests they move in together. Lauren (Miller) is a business ace who has just lost her job and her boyfriend, while Katie (Graynor) is an aimless young woman working a series of jobs that don't pay enough for her to pay the bills on her late grandmother's gorgeous flat. The problem is that they hate each other due to a minor incident 10 years earlier and resent each other for being dull and oversexed, respectively. Then Lauren realises that Katie could actually make a lot more money if she opened her own phone-sex company. And when the two go into business together, an unlikely friendship is born.

Screenwriters Miller and Naylon based the story on their own life (Miller even plays herself), so there are constant details that add honesty and humour along the way. On the other hand, they have also forced the plot into the usual rom-com story structure, so we know exactly where it's going from the start. But what's even stranger is the way they pack scenes with riotously graphic sex talk without letting the characters actually have any riotous sex. The movie's only two bed scenes are bizarrely dull, and badly undermine both the randy atmosphere and any point the movie might be making about sexuality.

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The story starts when Kay (Streep) finally refuses to accept her dried-up marriage to Arnold (Jones), who can't see any reason to change things. She enrols them in an intensive counselling session in Hope Springs, Maine, with a well-known therapist (Carell), and after initially refusing to go, Arnold tags along. Their sessions immediately hone in on their nonexistent sex life, which causes both Kay and Arnold to squirm in their seats (and provides most of the laughs for the audience). And their small-step exercises aren't exactly a roaring success. But Kay is determined that she wants a real relationship or nothing at all.

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So what do you do with all that footage? Release it as a movie!

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The film is very reminiscent of Carrie, where its protagonist has to deal with the uncontrollable changes of her body and soul as a cruel and unforgiving world bears witness to the unexplainable metamorphosis taking place. Fawcett's flick is also a snappy combination of An American Werewolf in London and Clueless. Intelligent and keenly wry, Ginger Snaps is a vibrant showcase that puts a bite into the imagination of its spellbound audience.

Continue reading: Ginger Snaps Review