Search Party ** (2014, T J Miller, Adam Pally, Thomas Middleditch, Alison Brie, Krysten Ritter) – Movie Review

Search Party is welcome as a raucous, laddish Hangover/Road Trip-style comedy. But it is not a very good one, though, to be fair, it’s not terrible either. The three main actors try very hard to raise laughs, and are reasonably winsome, and there are a quite few laughs dotted throughout the movie and some really funny moments.

Even with three out of four gags misfiring, it never actually gets totally boring, and even seems to improve as it goes along, as you get to know the characters. The actors don’t end up with egg on their faces, so you be happy to see them again in a better movie.

It comes from the 45-year-old Scot Armstrong, writer of Road Trip (2000), Old School (2003) and The Hangover Part II (2011), so you’ll know exactly what to expect. It’s his debut as director, and he’s a bit clumsy with it, allowing many scenes to run too long with drossy dialogue (especially the extended pre-credits chat) even in a short 90 minute running time.

T.J. Miller and Adam Pally star as early-30somethings Jason and Evan who set off for Mexico to reunite their buddy Nardo (Thomas Middleditch) with Tracy (Shannon Woodward), the woman he was going to marry until Jason disrupted the wedding. Tracy has stormed off on her Mexican honeymoon alone. Nardo follows, gets carjacked and his clothes stolen, then calls the others for help.

Nardo is naked and in a tight situation until he finds a pair of tights, and then he’s in a tights situation. At least till he’s back naked again.

It’s all a bit roguish and risqué, what with strong language throughout, drug use, graphic nudity, and sexual content.

The worst performance is by J.B. Smoove as Berk, a black dude posing as a Mexican. Probably it’s not Smoove’s fault as his role is very badly written and so is the struggling Lance Reddick’s part as Evan’s boss MacDonaldson, who likes taking his male employees to saunas.

Middleditch is required to play a large amount of his role as Nardo naked, which he does gamely, though alas this fails to raise many laughs, and the hard work isn’t well rewarded.

The women’s roles are really poorly written, leaving Woodward, Alison Brie, Krysten Ritter and Rosa Salazar (as Pocahontas) pretty much stranded.

But let’s leave it on an upbeat. The funniest thing in the movie is the two women singing and playing an innuendo-ridden song at the wedding. Give them a movie of their own. You could call it the Wedding Singers.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Movie Review

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