Wanderlust follows the story of a couple that are forced to move out of their pricey, New York apartment to a more affordable area in Atlanta. On the way they stop at a commune called Elysium. Elysium is a place where there are no rules and everyone can live freely. It has a very hippie-esque feel that reminded me of the theatre troupe in Taking Woodstock. The commune encourages values such as doing drugs and free love.
Aniston conquered a role that we have never seen her in before. During her stay at the commune she conforms to their hippie ways and participates in all the drug usage and free love. Aniston usually plays a more reserved type character, one that is really relatable. She begins the movie in this type of role but we actually see a change in her that is fun and funny to watch. I enjoyed watching her trip out on acid during the film because it is something I'm not used to with her and it was refreshing to see that she can play more than one part.
Rudd also delivers in his role of a businessman who tries to adapt to a free-spirited lifestyle but begins to miss his old life. Rudd always plays a very similar role, the serious man that has an unintentionally funny side. It never disappoints but I’d love to see him try something different.
Though Aniston and Rudd had the leading roles, there were many secondary characters that really stood out. Joe Lo Truglio stood out as the resident nudist in the commune. Even though the nudist bit was put in as kind of a cheap laugh, it really worked for the film and enhanced the free-spirit environment of Elysium. Malin Akerman provided lots of laughs as she blatantly asked Rudd's character to sleep with her even though he's married to Aniston.
Elysium, though shown in a comedic way, also teaches us some valuable lessons. It sends across the message to not get so caught up in the little things in life that we see as important, like money. It's much easier to be happy if you're among people you love not worrying about useless things. The setting the film uses to portray this message is extreme, yes, but it gets the job done.
Wanderlust finished the weekend with a disappointing 60% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes but only brought in a meager $6.6 million in the box office. People may be getting sick of seeing Jennifer Aniston on screen, but I promise this film is worth the $11 price of admission if you're looking for some good comedy.
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