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WANDERLUST (2012) Movie Reviews
Story: Comedy about a stressed out Manhattan couple who seek a fresh start in an idyllic community where people don't seem to worry about money or careers. Cast: Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Ray Liotta, Alan Alda Director: David Wain Opened: February 24, 2012 On DVD: June 19, 2012 From: Universal Rating: R Length: 1 hr. 38 min.
Wanderlust (2012), Moderate Reviews, Mixed
Updated: Wed, May 2 2012, 01:05pm
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Wanderlust (2012) played to moderate reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Carrie Rickey wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "...a riotous, raunchy, and more than a little raggedy showcase for Rudd's improv genius and Aniston's airy groundedness. He is gut-busting funny, she gently ticklish..." • And Connie Ogle wrote in the Miami Herald, "...lazy... You'll laugh a couple of times, but you'll wait a good long time to do it."   More Reviews Below...

Wanderlust (2012)
Positive Reviews
(43 Reviews,  reviews below)
 Compare This Movie... 
TotalBroad
National
Press
Local
News-
papers
Alter–
native/
Indie
High-
Brow
Press
Movie
Industry
NY/LA
Chicago
Toronto
Key
Cities
Total
B.O.
53.7% 52.9% 53.4% 61.6% 54.1% 52.4% 56.3% 59.5% $17.3M
Averages: 51.8% 54.1% 52.3% 46.9% 45.8% 48.7% 49.9% 54.7%
Reviews & Quotes (43)

BROAD NATIONAL PRESS (8 Reviews)
Alynda Wheat, People: POOR (cg)
"Insipid, tedious and lacking in common sense... has nothing to offer a discerning viewer.... ridiculous..." (Read the full review...)
181 words, 02/23/12

Mary Pols, Time: MODERATE
"There aren't enough laugh-out-loud moments and the film's pacing slows... the chemistry between Rudd and Aniston is never more than pleasant..." (Read the full review...)
800 words, 02/24/12

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"Your expectations are crucial here.... If you can be as open-minded as the drugged-up denizens of Elysium, then it's all good, brother." (Read the full review...)
635 words, 02/22/12

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING (cg)
"...lets Rudd shine. The actor is so clean-cut cute, yet so fearlessly capable of rolling in happy raunch.... it's a pleasure to see Aniston thrive in her comedy zone..." (Read the full review...)
426 words, 02/24/12

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"Rudd lets the funny fly.... when the script sags, David Wain and producer Judd Apatow rely on a top team of actors to keep you laughing." (Read the full review...)
316 words, 02/24/12

Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"...trundles along unevenly, never reaching the cleverly raucous state it seeks." (Read the full review...)
427 words, 02/24/12

Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"...essentially a series of comic sketches... Most of it is pretty funny stuff. A lot is not unfamiliar gross-out sex or body function humor..." (Read the full review...)
721 words, 02/23/12

James Berardinelli, Reel Views: MODERATE (cg)
"The characters are flat and their 'development' is obvious and perfunctory... you're left with 98 minutes of average filthy jokes." (Read the full review...)
783 words, 02/23/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)
"...for every few jokes that hit in this story about a recession-battered New York couple finding themselves on a Georgia commune, one sputters and dies..." (Read the full review...)
707 words, 02/24/12

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK (cg)
"...depressingly banal.... Aniston never fits into the improvisational setting, and is simply unconvincing as a free spirit." (Read the full review...)
398 words, 02/24/12

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD
"It's a perfect environment for Aniston and Rudd to do what they do best.... a trip worth taking." (Read the full review...)
802 words, 02/24/12

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"...may lack the satiric edge of Albert Brooks' 'Lost in America,' but it does deliver more big laughs than most comedies these days." (Read the full review...)
545 words, 02/24/12

Roger Moore, Chicago Tribune: WEAK (cg)
"David Wain (who co-wrote and directed) has nothing funny to say, and Ken Marino can't find a laugh in front of or behind the camera." (Read the full review...)
516 words, 02/24/12

Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: POOR (cg)
"Two high-pressure Manhattanites chuck it all for a care-free rural commune... a comedy that aims for hip irreverence but ends up firmly in Squaresville." (Read the full review...)
312 words, 02/24/12

David Edelstein, New York Magazine: VERY GOOD
"...exuberant... mostly works because of another kind of collective: marvelous clowns who groove on the chance to turn Utopia dystopian." (Read the full review...)
371 words, 02/27/12

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: MODERATE (cg)
"There are solid, often funny performances... Supporting players Jessica St. Clair, Jordan Peele and Kerri Kenney are entertaining..." (Read the full review...)
564 words, 02/24/12

Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD
"...directed with deceptive looseness by David Wain, who co-wrote with Ken Marino... It's hard to remember a comedy so populated with good character bits." (Read the full review...)
729 words, 02/22/12

Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: POOR (cg)
"So I tried it out. I left the theatre doing what I didn't do once in the theatre. I smiled. I even laughed. Sorry, no luck - apparently, a pummelled brain just can't be tricked." (Read the full review...)
611 words, 02/24/12

Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT (cg)
"...succeeds on pretty much every level. It's hysterically funny, which would be enough to make it a must-see film right about now, but it's also a very smart film..." (Read the full review...)
411 words, 02/24/12
KEY CITIES (11 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: MODERATE (cg)
"Paul Rudd delivers moments of inspired lunacy... a shambling mix of cheap laughs and genuinely funny set pieces from writer-director David Wain." (Read the full review...)
506 words, 02/24/12

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD (cg)
"...a riotous, raunchy, and more than a little raggedy showcase for Rudd's improv genius and Aniston's airy groundedness. He is gut-busting funny, she gently ticklish..." (Read the full review...)
550 words, 02/24/12

Kara Nesvig, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD (cg)
"...produces tons of laughs in its compact 90 minutes and doesn't overstay its welcome. The bad jokes are bad, but the good ones are great." (Read the full review...)
382 words, 02/24/12

Barbara VanDenburgh, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"...another potty-mouthed, middle-of-the-road comedy that relies heavily on Rudd..." (Read the full review...)
573 words, 02/24/12

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE (cg)
"...this movie has no teeth. It does not want to say anything, other than the unprintable word for penis, over and over." (Read the full review...)
450 words, 02/24/12

Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"You can see why these comics are favorites of other comics -- they're constantly pushing things just a bit further, holding shots for too long, letting scenes grow uncomfortable." (Read the full review...)
589 words, 02/24/12

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD (cg)
"Occasionally the gags feel effortful or flat, but for the most part they're funny, with a surprising percentage in the laugh-out-loud category." (Read the full review...)
568 words, 02/24/12

Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"...has enough laugh-out-loud moments that it wins you over... it works more often than it doesn't, and sometimes that's just enough." (Read the full review...)
356 words, 02/24/12

Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times: FAIR (cg)
"...encourages a few smiles, an occasional chuckle but never the kind of convulsive laughter or shock that this material could invite." (Read the full review...)
483 words, 02/24/12

Tom Long, Detroit News: MODERATE (cg)
"It's got Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston and hippie jokes and lots of improv. The problem is, it's got too many hippie jokes and too much improv." (Read the full review...)
441 words, 02/24/12

Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: WEAK (cg)
"...lazy... You'll laugh a couple of times, but you'll wait a good long time to do it. Rudd is responsible for most of the laughs. Aniston is responsible for none of them." (Read the full review...)
613 words, 02/24/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (9 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD
"...directed with deceptive looseness by David Wain, who co-wrote with Ken Marino... It's hard to remember a comedy so populated with good character bits." (Read the full review...)
729 words, 02/22/12

Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend: VERY GOOD (cg)
"David Wain has once again proven that it's hard to go wrong with a formula that includes a funny script, great leads, and a supporting cast that can steal the scene at any moment." (Read the full review...)
612 words, 02/24/12

Betsy Sherman, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"Rudd does some great riffing (especially his hillbilly dirty talk), but ultimately the sum of 'Wanderlust's' parts is greater than the whole." (Read the full review...)
162 words, 03/01/12

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"...any aspirations to satire or social commentary get lost in the film's all-too-easy comedy." (Read the full review...)
499 words, 02/23/12

Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: POOR (cg)
"...the movie doesn't veer from its track, the one grinding you into submission regarding that lesson to be learned." (Read the full review...)
778 words, 02/24/12

Alison Willmore, Movieline: GOOD (cg)
"...peters out halfway through, but it presents a believable case for why two people with no innate hippie impulses would become infatuated with and join life in a rural collective..." (Read the full review...)
866 words, 02/23/12

Jesse Cataldo, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT) (cg)
"...manages to feel current, and relatively funny, without ever becoming particularly pointed, resulting in a floppy but satisfactory middlebrow comedy." (Read the full review...)
603 words, 02/23/12

Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT (cg)
"...succeeds on pretty much every level. It's hysterically funny, which would be enough to make it a must-see film right about now, but it's also a very smart film..." (Read the full review...)
411 words, 02/24/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (6 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR
"So you think you've seen silly? And smarmy? And inept? Wait till you see 'Wanderlust'... it is nothing if not strenuous, strident and gross, and most of it fails the comedy test." (Read the full review...)
359 words, 02/24/12

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)
"...for every few jokes that hit in this story about a recession-battered New York couple finding themselves on a Georgia commune, one sputters and dies..." (Read the full review...)
707 words, 02/24/12

David Denby, New Yorker: GOOD
"...as broad and obvious as 'Wanderlust' is, it's often very funny." (Read the full review...)
631 words, 02/27/12

Ian Buckwalter, NPR: VERY GOOD
"Wain's willingness to do anything for a laugh is a risk that pays off." (Read the full review...)
639 words, 02/23/12

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD
"It's a perfect environment for Aniston and Rudd to do what they do best.... a trip worth taking." (Read the full review...)
802 words, 02/24/12

Dana Stevens, Slate: GOOD
"...provides at least one solid laugh per scene, with a few stretches of more extended hilarity (along with more than one riff that dies writhing before our eyes)." (Read the full review...)
795 words, 02/24/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Brian Lowry, Daily Variety: MODERATE
"Despite some amusing moments, everyone simply works too hard at providing rambunctious zaniness..." (Read the full review...)
557 words, 02/22/12

John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD
"...weakness for anything-goes caricature is balanced by well rounded performances.... If the ensuing plot beats are easy to chart in advance, they're sold by a good-natured cast..." (Read the full review...)
448 words, 02/22/12

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD
"It's a perfect environment for Aniston and Rudd to do what they do best.... a trip worth taking." (Read the full review...)
802 words, 02/24/12

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)
"...for every few jokes that hit in this story about a recession-battered New York couple finding themselves on a Georgia commune, one sputters and dies..." (Read the full review...)
707 words, 02/24/12

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR
"So you think you've seen silly? And smarmy? And inept? Wait till you see 'Wanderlust'... it is nothing if not strenuous, strident and gross, and most of it fails the comedy test." (Read the full review...)
359 words, 02/24/12
(cg) = based on the critic's grade

Review Mixture
19.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews
(Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)

Wanderlust (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 19.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.

Wanderlust (2012)
(43 reviews)
Roll over dots for each review
Broad National   Alternative/Indie   Highbrow Press   Key Cities
NY, LA, Chicago, & Toronto Movie Industry  
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Moderate
Weak
Poor
Reviews
Outstanding
Very Good
Good
Moderate
Weak
Poor
Reviews
Big
Publications
>Bigger
Publications
>Biggest
Publications
Coverage, Volume & Length

Coverage: Wanderlust (2012)'s reviews cover 87.3% of potential readers (average is 68.2%). Volume: The film's reviews total 23,487 words in volume (average is 19,979 words). Length: The film's reviews average 546 words in length (the norm is 512 words).

Wanderlust (2012)
Coverage, Volume & Length
(43 Reviews,  reviews below)
TotalBroad
National
Press
Local
News-
papers
Alter–
native/
Indie
High-
Brow
Press
Movie
Industry
NY/LA
Chicago
Toronto
Key
Cities
Total
B.O.
Coverage:
Volume:
Length:
87.3%
23,487
546
84.1%
4,289
536
87.9%
9,966
525
91.0%
5,432
604
93.1%
3,933
656
83.3%
2,873
575
87.5%
6,738
562
87.3%
5,511
501
$17.3M
Averages: 68.2%
19,979
512
66.7%
3,178
451
80.2%
10,677
521
80.8%
3,310
430
58.7%
2,374
630
85.2%
3,407
685
83.7%
5,861
500
73.0%
2,885
539
Opening Day Reviews
Reviews Broke 5.9 Hours Before Release (Norm is 0.2 Release)

Wanderlust (2012)'s reviews on average broke 5.9 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 0.2 hours after. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Wanderlust (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.

Wanderlust (2012)
(43 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
M O R E    P O S I T I V E    R E V I E W S
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Updated: Wed, May 2 2012, 01:05pm
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