Ask A Genius 1165: Session 16,021,000
Author(s): Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/11/12
*Interview conducted in October-November, 2024.*
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: This is another session number… probably 16,021,000.
Rick Rosner: I have a move on now. It’s a movie with Zac Efron and the guy you’ve seen in a zillion things. His last name is Adam Devine. He was in Workaholics. I know about that condition.
Normally, it’s Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016), starring Zac Efron and Adam Devine, and Anna Kendrick from Pitch Perfect and Aubrey Plaza from Parks and Rec. There are a couple of brothers who get out of hand and ruin every wedding or birthday they attend. Their family intervenes and tells them they cannot come to their sister’s wedding unless they bring dates.
Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick play a couple of wild, chaotic women. The brothers place an ad online looking for dates, but everyone who responds is unsuitable. The two women see the ad and decide to secure the gig by pretending to be nice girls. Instead of formally responding, they stage an accidental meeting on the street and succeed in getting invited. The film is raunchy and humorous. In one scene, the brothers’ cousin, who is highly competitive with them, seduces Plaza in a sauna. She claims she can secure backstage passes to a Beyoncé concert if Plaza agrees to a sexual favor. Adam DeVine walks in on this scene and reacts in shock and horror.
One of the brothers accidentally runs over the bride, their sister, with an ATV, bruising her face. One of the wild women hires a massage therapist, played by Kumail Nanjiani (before his Marvel transformation), to give the bride a “happy ending” massage. He oils himself and massages her, leading to an over-the-top scene. The movie is raunchy and funny, ultimately better than expected, as is often the case with films that embrace their absurdity without trying too hard.
Jacobsen: Is it similar to Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle?
Rosner: Yes, it exists in the same genre but with about 40% less outrageousness. The performances make the movie stand out, as the cast is committed and willing to push boundaries. Harold & Kumar Go to White Castlehad a similar comedic tone, and everyone in it, especially Neil Patrick Harris, did a great job. This movie tries to be just as bold but remains somewhat more grounded.
Thinking of movies that try to be raunchy but fail, some disappear without a trace or end up being offensive without being funny. Boondock Saints comes to mind as a polarizing example; some consider it subpar while others see it as a cult classic. It’s not primarily a comedy, but it features a lot of over-the-top “bro-type” violence.
Jacobsen: What is “bro-type” violence?
Rosner: It’s hard to define, but Jeremy Piven often appears in movies that embody this style. Old School is a film in that vein, with Vince Vaughn. What do I think of Vince Vaughn? He’s talented and good at what he does. Will Ferrell? Also excellent. Both actors are smart and committed to their roles. Ferrell often uses his physique for comedic effect, even though he’s actually quite fit, as he is a runner in real life. He uses his body to enhance the humor of scenes where he’s either partially clothed or naked.
I once saw Vince Vaughn in a film that was released under two different titles and didn’t succeed either time. He doesn’t usually write his own material, so he relies on choosing scripts that suit his style. When given material that plays to his strengths—being charming and appearing nonchalant—he excels. Vaughn is currently in Bad Monkey, an adaptation of a Carl Hiaasen novel. It’s a Miami crime story filled with odd, flawed characters, typical of Hiaasen’s work and Florida crime fiction, which often features humor and absurdity. This adaptation is a TV series.
Jacobsen: What did you think of Billy Madison?
Rosner: It’s one of my favorite Adam Sandler movies. In it, Sandler’s character has to complete kindergarten through high school within a few weeks. It’s a funny premise. Interestingly, I once tried going back to high school and even junior high. I had a meeting with the administrators of a private junior high in my hometown to explain my idea, but they weren’t convinced. I had this idea about 15 years before Billy Madison.
I also met Sandler when I was writing for Remote Control. If I hadn’t been so clueless at the time, I might have written for him. He was gauging whether I had the comedic sensibility to match his, but I missed the opportunity.
Iwouldn’t know how to present this, but we went to Friendly’s Ice Cream Parlor, which had a drink called the Fribble. It was a New Jersey chain. My writing partner and his friends, who were from Jersey, knew everything about life in Caldwell, New Jersey, including the quirky stories involving mafia neighbors. If you want to learn how to be an asshole with flair, you grow up in New Jersey.
You learn how to be an asshole with panache. They would go to Friendly’s, and the Fribble was a drink—a combination of an ice cream float, shake, and malt. My friend’s trick was to slam it down and then puke it back into the glass. He would then call the waiter over and say, “This Fribble is warm. I love this, warm.” He’d send it back and get a free one. He had to puke the first one up, but he got the second for free. That, to me, seems very Jersey, and I loved it. But I didn’t know what to do with Adam Sandler.
I missed out on an opportunity with him because he had a comedy partner who went on to co-write about 20 movies with him. Sandler was also roommates with Judd Apatow a few years after my meeting with him, and they both became hugely successful while I was only moderately successful. I even got shingles because of Sandler. We were both up for the same role on the game show Remote Control, and the back-and-forth stress, I guess, gave me shingles. So there you go. Is that a Rotten Tomatoes moment?
Also, my hair is getting thinner, and I should probably consider another round of hair transplants. If not, I’ll have to avoid going out in the daytime or anywhere with overhead lighting—I’ll only be lit from the side. But, also, I’m 64. Who am I trying to impress? I don’t know. Maybe I should just dim the lights a little. I did that when I went back to high school at age 27. I had to stay out of direct light.
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