Ira & Abby (2006) or, Marriage Never Works

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+ 2nd Worst Movie of the Year

A not very informative nor aesthetically pleasing or memorable poster for Robert Cary's Ira & Abby

Ira leaves a stranded relationship and his many years of fruitless therapy, as he starts a new, impulsive relationship to the very different Abby, and the two decide to get married quickly. - Too quickly.

Ira & Abby is written by Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)), who also plays Abby in the film, and directed by Robert Cary (Anything But Love (2002)). It is a very bad example of a quirky New-Yorker indie movie of crossing fates, - a type of movie that has masterpiece examples such as Woody Allen's Anything Else (2003) and Raymond De Felitta's City Island (2009). This one isn't funny, romantic or compelling dramatically. Mostly it serves as a reminder for us as to why it is that we don't live in New York, whose therapy-padded, infantile adults are the subjects of Ira & Abby.
Supporting actors Frances Conroy (Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010-13)) and Fred Willard (Everybody Hates Chris (2009), TV-series) are sympathetic here, but also they have, - just like everyone else in this film, - a hopeless marriage.
Ira & Abby is a downright marriage-hating film, which is hard to enjoy at all for us who don't share this opinion. This doesn't mean that it doesn't also strike on an odd truth or two, but it doesn't really help it, since it is both boring, uncinematic and depressing, while it does so.

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2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

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2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Here's a video of Westfeldt and Jon Hamm, who also has a small role in Ira & Abby, who talk about their relationship, (they were together for 18 years before splitting up in 2017), and their movie together, Friends with Kids (2011)

Cost: Estimated 3.5 mil. $
Box office: 563k $
= Box office disaster (returned 0.16 times the cost)
[Ira & Abby premiered 23 June (Los Angeles Film Festival, California) and runs 104 minutes. Shooting took place in New York. The film opened #57 in 7 theaters to a 36k $ first weekend in North America, where it never attained a higher position although it widened to 20 cinemas, grossing 211k $ (37.5 % of the total gross). This was the film's 2nd biggest market. The biggest was Mexico with 244k $ (43.3 %), and the 3rd biggest was Central America with 54k $ (9.6 %). The film was only released in 5 markets. Cary returned with Save Me (2007), his last directorial effort to date. Westfeldt returned in 5 TV-series and a TV movie in the following years and theatrically in Friends with Kids (2011). Chris Messina (The Newsroom (2012-14)) returned in Medium (2007, TV-series), Security (2007, short) and theatrically in Towelhead (2007). Ira & Abby is fresh at 67 % with a 6.1/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Ira & Abby?

Epic Movie (2007) - Friedberg/Seltzer deliver the tasteless fun

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+ Most Under-appreciated Movie of the Year + Best Low-brow Movie of the Year

A simple and very silly-looking poster for Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer's Epic Movie

Four unrelated orphans find each other with four golden tickets and venture through a wardrobe that's really a trap into a cold world, which is ruled by a tyrannical white bitch!

- She is played with usual comical panache by Jennifer Coolidge (The Jack of Spades (2010)). Epic Movie distinguishes itself by having lovely comedians bring their chops to the spoof: Besides Coolidge there's Fred Willard (Max Rose (2013)), who is priceless as a randy half-lion; Kevin Hart (Little Fockers (2010)) is a blood-thirsty albino, and Crispin Glover (Dead Man (1995)) is Willy Wonka. Darrell Hammond (Agent Cody Banks (2003)) is really funny as 'Jack Swallows', the movie's take on Johnny Depp's Pirates of the Caribbean character, Jack Sparrow. There's also David Carradine (Karate Cop (1991)) and several other stars and wannabees.
Epic Movie is full of babes, piss, vomit, farts and crap. Its pace is high, and although it is undeniably lowbrow, it is fun lowbrow and good entertainment for all youthful laugh-oholics, - especially if approached with low expectations. It is written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (Vampires Suck (2010), both).

Related post:

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

 Watch a scene from the directors' previous film, Date Movie (2006) here, spoofing the legendary orgasm-faking scene from When Harry Met Sally... (1989). - If this makes you laugh, own it and go get Epic Movie as well, because it's for you

Cost: 20 mil. $
Box office: 86.8 mil. $
= Big hit
[Epic Movie premiered 27 January (Australia and Malaysia) and runs 85 minutes. It was shot in California and New Jersey in and around July 2006. It opened #1 to an 18.6 mil. $ opening weekend in North America, where it fell to #3 in its second week and then out of the top 5, grossing 39.7 mil. $ (45.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 10.1 mil. $ (11.6 %) and Australia with 5.1 mil. $ (5.9 %). The film was axed by critics and today holds #42 on IMDb's user-generated Bottom 100 list, between Surf School (2006) and Alone in the Dark (2005). It sold in excess of 1 mil. DVDs in North America alone, adding another 16.8 mil. $ to its gross, (which, however, wouldn't change its big hit status if counted in.) Epic Movie is rotten at 2 % with a 2.3 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Epic Movie?

Anchorman: The Legend Continues (2013) - Ferrell and Co. return for mostly hilarious sequel

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Recognize this mustache? It belongs to Will Ferrell's title character in Adam McKay's Anchorman: The Legend Continues

As a big fan of the original Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), I had been excited about the sequel for a long, long time, and, luckily, Anchorman 2 or Anchorman: The Legend Continues over-all is a lot of fun, if not as ingenious or wildly hysterical as its predecessor.
Will Ferrell (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)) is back as the news anchor with salon quality hair and classiness all over, and he and everyone else do their utmost in the highly anticipated comedy. Steve Carell's (The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)) character Brick has gotten much more space in The Legend Continues, where he falls for a similarly mentally backwards office mouse in the shape of Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids (2011)), and their scenes together are weird and often hilarious. Paul Rudd and David Koechner are back as the last two of the news team, - still characters with lines, but they pretty much do nothing story-wise.
The plot of Anchorman 2 is nothing spectacular: 10 years hence, Burgundy has married Veronica Corningstone and they have a kid, SPOILER when Burgundy gets fired and then hired by the first 24 hour news channel, seated in New York. (GNN, a satirical spin on CNN, naturally.)
James Marsden (X-Men 2 (2003)) is surprisingly funny, besides being terrific eye-candy, as Burgundy's younger competition at the new station.
Here also Dylan Baker (Happiness (1998)) and Meagan Good (Think Like a Man (2012)), - who is an especially good sport here, play new, big roles.
The plot is like the deranged story cooked up by a weird child, while it still fundamentally follows traditional narrative conventions. The film is very, very funny for a long while, but it strands very abruptly in the third act, SPOILER as Burgundy and his team end up in a grotesque news team battle in a New York park. We are supposed to be dazzled by the huge stars that cameo here, but the laughs dry up, and the long scene doesn't work at all.

Anchorman became a cult favorite, almost a legend movie, since its premiere in 2004, and the hyped, much marketed sequel is good, albeit without the genius of the original

Related reviews:

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) - Burgundy reigns supreme
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]  
2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate in the beginning of Anchorman 2. Unfortunately, the terrific Applegate's character mostly dangles around on the side-line in the plot of Anchorman: The Legend Continues

Budget: 50 mil. $
Box office: 172.9 mil. $
= Box office success

What do you think of the Anchorman sequel?
If you disagree with my review, let me know why

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) - Ferrell's Burgundy reigns supreme

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+ 2nd Best Movie of the Year

+ Best American Movie of the Year + Best Big Hit Movie of the Year + Best Comedy of the Year + Best Period Movie of the Year + Best San Diego Movie of the Year

The hilarious cast sell the film for any comedy fan on this fun-spelling poster for Adam McKay's Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Anchorman is a romantic adventure crazy-comedy satire set in San Diego in the 70s on a local TV station, where news anchor Ron Burgundy rules. But when a female co-host enters this male-dominated, closed circuit, it alters television forever.

Co-writer/star Will Ferrell's (The House (2017)) totally outrageous humor has free reign in Anchorman, which he wrote with Pennsylvanian master director Adam McKay (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)). The film is a perfect mix of hysterically funny and far out lines, a completely lunatic and yet utterly controlled storyline, and stellar, comedic performances from an incredible comedy ensemble: 
Aside from a dynamite Ferrell, perhaps the funniest comedian of the 00s, we have Steve Carell (Freeheld (2015)), Paul Rudd (The Catcher Was a Spy (2018)), David Koechner (The Soul Man (2016, TV-series)) and not least Fred Willard (Roseanne (1995-97)) as station chief. Christina Applegate (The Book of Life (2014)) is the physically appetizing and deeply funny comedienne, who is able to share screen with Ferrell and not at all disappear altogether in his shade. Anchorman also sports an almost endless line of grand cameos. Ferrell himself calls the film the most satisfying thing he has ever done.
And did I mention that it all takes place in gleefully decadent and/or gaudy 1970s sets and costumes?
Anchorman is a perfect comedy, and perhaps the funniest from the 00s.

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Watch a great 3-minute clip from the film here

Cost: 26 mil. $
Box office: 90.5 mil. $
= Box office success (returned 3.48 times its cost)
[Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy premiered 28 June (Los Angeles, California) and runs 94 minutes. The project went through many forms before production and at one point had Paul Thomas Anderson attached to produce. Shooting took place in San Diego and Los Angeles, California in and around July 2003. The film opened #2, behind Spider-Man 2, to a 28.4 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another week in the top 5 (#3) and grossed 85.2 mil. $ (94.1 % of the total gross). The film's reception in the rest of the world may be called tiny save for two other markets, where it took off: The UK with 2.9 mil. $ (3.2 %) and Australia with 1.6 mil. $ (1.8 %). Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to two notches harder than this one. McKay and Ferrell returned with a sequel with the supporting cast back as well with Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013). McKay returned first with Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie (2004, video), - based on outtakes from the feature, - and theatrically with Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), - both with Ferrell starring. Ferrell returned first in Melinda and Melinda (2004). Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is fresh at 66 % with a 6.29/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy?