Movie Reviews

Ned (Bryan Cranston) is a slightly overprotective but loving dad who does not approve of his daughter Stephanie’ boyfriend, a Silicon Valley billionaire named Laird (James Franco). So when Ned, his wife Barb and his son Scotty visit Stephanie and Laird in the man’s house in Southern California, the trip starts off rather awkward and then quickly goes downhill even further. Especially, when Ned finds out that Laird wants to pop the question… and wants his blessing.

Why Him? suffers from the same thing as most other recent comedies. The jokes just aren’t funny. Which is kind of an essential thing for a comedy. In an effort to cover this up, its makers ramp everything up and end up making you cringe rather than laugh. Franco is as over the top as Cranston is stiff in this Meet The Parents copy and in between the potty humor (literally) and moose urine, there really isn’t much to go round. And when director John Hamburger tries to inject the movie with some feel-good sentiments towards the end, things get almost unbearable.

Sad to see this is what passes for a comedy these days.