132. Father Figures; movie review

FATHER FIGURES
Cert 15
113 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language and sex references

Owen Wilson as a hippy dude who keeps saying 'man' and believes in free love and Ed Helms as an uptight rule-abider.
I have not seen a casting agency directory but I can well imagine the above descriptions next to the leads of Lawrence Sher's disappointing Father Figures.
Wilson has made his career out of being an easygoing pot-smoker who cannot settle down.
He reaches 50 later this year and I am thinking that his career is dead if he doesn't start playing another tune soon.
Meanwhile, Ed Helms is only 44 but it is nine years since he played the stuffed shirt who was persuaded into a wild stag do in The Hangover.
And yet, here they are, Wilson and Helms, playing twins in the shape of their Hollywood alter-egos.
They come together after four years apart to celebrate the marriage of their beloved mum (Glenn Close) only to discover that she has been lying for decades about the father they have never met.
Thus, they are inspired to go on a trip across America in search of their real biological dad.
Inevitably, Wilson's cool sunny-side-up character is gratingly optimistic while Helms's naysayer has a bafflingly bleak outlook.
However, the longer they are exposed to each other, the more their polar opposites are drawn together.
Father Figures is a lazy movie - it stretches none of its cast and its dialogue is strangely stilted.
But it's worst offence is that it is a comedy which prompts scarcely a smirk for more than an hour.
Then, in a lively finale which is on a different plane to the rest of the movie, I can report I giggled twice.
That I am afraid is not enough and both Wilson and Helms would be best advised to look for more challenging material otherwise their careers will be on the slide.

Reasons to watch: If you enjoy Owen Wilson doing his hippy thing
Reasons to avoid: Really doesn't add up to a hill of beans

Laughs: Two
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall Rating: 5/10

Director quote - Lawrence Sher: "Owen and Ed genuinely adore each other and have a connection that goes beyond their work in Father Figures. They have such joy working as a team.  I could have made a three-hour movie showcasing their chemistry."

The big question - When will Wilson and Helms need to change direction?

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