Plot
A guy fed up with his job and married to a cheating wife reluctantly mentors a rebellious teen.

Release Year: 2007

Rating: 6.4/10 (11,229 voted)

Critic's Score: 30/100

Director: Bernie Goldmann

Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Jessica Alba, Logan Lerman

Storyline
Bill is unhappy: he's married a banker's daughter and has a non-job at the bank; his wife Jess is tied to daddy's purse-strings; and, Bill is developing a gut from lack of exercise and constantly eating candy bars. He dreams of buying a donut franchise to be independent of Jess's dad. Bill is roped into a mentoring program at his old prep school, assigned a smart-mouthed kid who pops up when least expected. When Jess starts an affair with Chip, a local TV personality and vain Rob Lowe look-alike, it sends Bill, the kid, and a young sales clerk from a lingerie shop on a quest to win back Jess and get the donuts. What about self-respect?

Cast:
Aaron Eckhart - Bill
Jessica Alba - Lucy
Elizabeth Banks - Jess
Logan Lerman - The Kid
Holmes Osborne - Mr. Jacoby
Todd Louiso - John Jr.
Timothy Olyphant - Chip Johnson
Reed Diamond - Paul
Kristen Wiig - Jane Whittman
Jason Sudeikis - Jim Whittman
Andy Zou - Donald Choo
Ana Lucasey - Sarah Sheldon
Constance Barron - Mrs. Jacoby
Conor O'Farrell - Principal
Julia Pace Mitchell - Dana

Taglines: A comedy about someone you know.

Official Website: First Look Studios [United States] | Official site |

Release Date: 18 June 2008

Filming Locations: St. Albans, Missouri, USA

Opening Weekend: $35,201 (USA) (6 April 2008) (36 Screens)

Gross: $59,108 (USA) (13 April 2008)

Runtime: 93 min

Trivia:
In the movie Bill's father in law's character is named John Jacobi. Jan Jacobi is the head of the MICDS middle school, where many of the Tate Academy scenes were shot.

Goofs:
Continuity: When Jess is at the hospital with Bill, her hair changes from being draped over her right ear to being tucked behind her ear and back again repeatedly between shots.

Quotes:
Bill: [sees him on the roof of the bank] What are you doing?
The Kid: [referring to the sign] I'm fixing your head!

Light fun with a surprise or two

Rating: 7/10

I'm not much of a comedy fan, mostly because in recent years they've strayed too far into smart-ass one-liner dumb-formula potty-humor cardboard-cutout territory, which is fine if you like that sort of thing, but I don't.

This, though, is an old-fashioned comedy with heart. Can Bill make his life better with the help of a precocious teen? Sure he can. But the way he gets there isn't just the standard formula, and that makes it a fun watch.

It also helps that the technical work is all top-notch, and the supporting cast is pitch perfect, from the staid father-in-law to the somewhat manic doughnut franchisers.

This isn't a movie that will make you guffaw and belly laugh for an hour and a half, but it does make you feel inspired and offers a few chuckles along the way. In that regard, it reminds me of "Charlie Bartlett," "Juno" and "Rocket Science."

I'm glad this style of comedy didn't die out because of the Farrelly Brothers' success. Their kind of comedy is redundant and dumb -- this type leaves you happy for a while. And Hollywood should do that more often.

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