Friday Flicks: Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston Feel the Wanderlust

Grab some popcorn! TIME's Glen Levy brings you the movies you should check out (or avoid) this weekend.

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Wanderlust

[youtube=http://youtu.be/zxKQHc-tqNM]

Tagline: Leave your baggage behind.

Amid the buzz justifiably surrounding the Judd Apatow stable of comedies, which broke out in a major way a few years ago (Knocked Up, Superbad), it was all too easy to neglect slightly softer offerings starring Paul Rudd, like I Love You, Man and Role Models. And that last example was directed by David Wain, who has hooked up again with Rudd on Wanderlust. Intriguingly, though, the movie has Mr. Apatow on board as a producer.

And Wain has arguably upgraded his cast, as Rudd’s George finds himself as one part of a Manhattan couple, with his other half, Linda, played by Jennifer Aniston. In light of George losing his job, they find themselves confronted by an awful reality: they need to move in with his nightmare of a brother, Rick (Ken Marino), who gives George a helping hand with the offer of a new job.

Before long, George and Linda have had enough and come across Elysium, which is one of those idyllic communities that you might suspect of being a nudist colony (and yes, we realize we’re dramatically over-simplifying what goes on there). Can it provide a fresh start for the down-on-their-luck couple, or will this new way of looking at issues result in more problems than ever before?

The critics certainly don’t seem to have problems with the movie, marking Wanderlust as wonderful. “Every actor who gets the joke shines, even when the story occasionally bumbles and bobbles its momentum,” raves TIME’s sister publication Entertainment Weekly in a most impressive A- review. “If the ensuing plot beats are easy to chart in advance, they’re sold by a good-natured cast and filmmakers who understand they’ll get plenty of laughs,” notes The Hollywood Reporter. And the Associated Press nearly runs away with itself: “Some jokes get hammered into the ground repeatedly; others go on well past the point of cringe-inducing awkwardness, which is the point. But some do reach the levels of brilliant, unfettered lunacy to which they aspire.” Brilliant, unfettered lunacy, you say? Where do we sign up?

PHOTOS: Stoner Cinema

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