While We're Young (2014) Naomi Watts, Ben Stiller, Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried Movie Review

While We're Young (2014)   2/52/52/52/52/5


Naomi Watts and Ben Stiller in While We're Young (2014)

More Hip Replacement

Josh (Ben Stiller) and Cornelia (Naomi Watts) have hit that point in life when they are both in a routine and truthfully in a rut, telling themselves they are happy with their lives and marriage when in truth something missing. Being in a rut is something Josh is experiencing with his work as a documentary maker as his latest project has been unfinished for years. But things start to change when Josh meets Jamie (Adam Driver) and Darby (Amanda Seyfried) a bohemian young couple who seem to resist the entrapments of the 21st century. But as Jamie is a young documentary maker their friendship takes a strange turn as Josh starts hanging with him.

One of the lessons I have learned as a movie reviewer is when it comes to comedies starring Ben Stiller you never know what you are going to get. As such when you come across "While We're Young" and see it is a Ben Stiller comedy you may watch in the hope of some daft comedy but find yourself disappointed because what you get is humour of the more observational kind. And I will be honest; I always prefer the daft comedy movies which Ben Stiller makes rather than these ones which attempt to be more grown up and observational.

Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried in While We're Young (2014)

So that is what a big part of what "While We're Young" is about as we observe the middle age couple Josh and Cornelia not fitting in with their friends as they don't have children and trying to convince themselves they are happy with their lives. As such we are in mid life crisis mode and get the observational humour of them trying to become young and hip as they end up hanging out with the bohemian Jamie and Darby. The thing is that whilst it is kind of amusing watching a middle age couple trying to act young and hip it also becomes pretty tedious after a while. It also resorts to the sort of humour which to be honest I have never found funny, I am sorry I just don't know what is funny about watching someone throw up.

Now there is more to "While We're Young" than this as there is also a thriller sort of side involving Josh's stagnant career as a documentary maker and Jamie's emerging, promising career. But for me not only did this side not work but it didn't fit in comfortably with the rest of the movie.

What this all boils down to is that "While We're Young" is one of those movies which wants to be more than just daft fun but for me doesn't really achieve it. In fact it is a movie which seems to try to hard to be different.


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