They Came Together

It seemed as though the age of cinematic parody had come and gone in recent years, with the Scary Movie franchise completely taking the genre and ramming it down its audience’s throats with Epic Movie, Superhero Movie and Meet the Spartans to name just a few. With these notorious flops in mind one might be forgiven for having a naturally negative mindset when analysing the modern genre of film parody, although at least it can be said that They Came Together is independent of that particular franchise.

The cast gives hope of solid comedy, as actors Amy Poehler, Ed Helms and Michael Ian Black have promising comedic careers. The casting of Paul Rudd as the lead seems, on paper, like a stroke of genius as he is part of the conventional rom-com furniture. The story centres on the meeting of Rudd and Poehler’s characters and how their mismatched lives lead them to build a relationship in zany circumstances.

From the outset it is clear to see that They Came Together has something different and genuinely funny to offer the genre. The jokes are smashed into the audience continuously in an almost (dare I say it) Airplane! fashion; all types are chucked in as the film mixes a bit of slapstick, word play and brutally cheesy rom-com parody to keep everyone entertained. The mixing of different jokes means there really is something for all senses of humour here – you don’t need an overly silly funny bone to enjoy the performances.

Every actor in They Came Together earns their comedic chops; although Rudd and Poehler steal the show, there are huge laughs to be found in Max Greenfield and Christopher Meloni’s characters and even a brilliant cameo in the final part, not to be ruined here.

This is definitely a film that, unlike its genre cousins, will avoid the clutches of the HMV bargain bin in the next few years. It manages to charm and entertain its audience in equal measure with a smörgåsbord of hysterical performances and quickfire jokes.

Keir Smith

For further information about They Came Together visit here.

Read more reviews from Sundance London 2014 here, for further information about the festival visit here.