Review: ‘Why Him?’: A bro-film through and through

Meeting your significant other’s parents is usually an awkward situation. It gets amplified further in movies—think Meet The Parents (which was a film written by John Hamburg, the same man who co-wrote and directed this movie we’re talking about). As if the entire endeavor isn’t embarrassing enough, throw in a rather eccentric, tech mogul for a boyfriend and a plain, straight-laced family and you’re in for a good laugh.

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That’s at the heart of Why Him?, a “bro film” masking as a Christmas-themed romantic comedy/risque family movie. It’s definitely not something to take the kids to. (You can’t bring the young ones really since it’s rated R-13.) You can already see it isn’t something for the youngins from the first accidental encounter between Laird Mayhew (James Franco) and Stephanie Fleming’s (Zoey Deutch) family. There was a birthday party and a Skype call gone wrong. Let’s just say, we get to see a lot of Franco’s nether regions in this movie—but that isn’t something he hasn’t really done before.

And then when Laird actually does get to meet Stephanie’s dad, Ned (Bryan Cranston); mom, Barb (Megan Mullally); and younger brother, Scotty (Griffin Gluck), you know you’re not in family-friendly territory. There is a tattoo gone wrong and descriptive talks of female body parts interspersed with an insane amount of cursing (mostly from Laird).

It’s all so embarrassingly funny. The entire film is so painfully funny. Hamburg’s good at taking the worst possible outcome for a “meeting the parents” scenario and amplifying that even more. You can’t help but laugh out loud while watching Why Him? At the same time, you’ll find yourself visibly cringing at what’s happening. It’s secondhand embarrassment at its finest. Hamburg was able to play around with a done-and-dusted scenario and add in a few surprises. (Watch for evasive parkour and a hilarious bathroom encounter.)

Franco is in his element here and Laird feels like someone he’s played before, right down to the lazy, kind of sarcastic smile. But unlike the douchey deadbeats he played in some of his previous roles, Laird is actually successful in his field and as Stephanie describes him, “his heart is always in the right place.” When it comes to showing his affection though, this attention-starved man does it in the most unconventional of ways.

As for the stoic father, this isn’t exactly the first time Cranston’s been in a comedy. While his recent works (including, of course, Breaking Bad) has gotten him a lot of recognition in the dramatic/serious acting sphere, he has done comedy before (if you want something specific, he spent six years playing Hal in Malcolm in the Middle). And this movie reminds us that he does comedy well, too

It’s a bit unsettling, though, seeing a rather sedate Megan Mullally in this film. Perhaps, it’s just all the years of Will & Grace but she’s just quite flat and forgettable here. Same goes for the object of Laird’s affection, Stephanie. It isn’t exactly Deutch’s fault. The story leaves her character feeling like an afterthought to the two men, even though the tiff between Laird and Ned was about her. There was an attempt at female empowerment and preaching of her life being her own. But again it felt forced and lacking.

If we are to talk about scene stealers for Why Him?, hands down it goes to Keagan-Michael Key as Gustav. He’s Laird’s “estate manager” and best friend. He plays the strange butler/sidekick perfectly. Everything from the funny accent, weird mustache, to his comedic timing. You just want him to always be there.

Try to look deeply into the story, you’ll see some nice messages haphazardly thrown in with the obscene humor. It reminds us of our need to belong, to value family, and to know when to quit something that no longer works. Don’t be mistaken. This isn’t a thinking man’s or woman’s movie. There’s just too much slapstick and crude humor to put the focus on that. You’ll lose if you try to take this too seriously. Now, if your humor leans on the obscene and you need a good laugh (which is something we need these days), Why Him? is a hilarious way to kill time.

‘Why Him?’ is brought to us by 20th Century Fox and opens in theaters today.