Imagine if Date Movie—the romcom spin-off of the Scary Movie franchise—were about 50 times smarter. This seems to be the premise of They Came Together, a chick flick parody directed by David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer, Role Models) that stars Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd and features pretty much every funny working actor today: Bill Hader, Ellie Kemper, Michael Ian Black, Jack McBrayer, Kenan Thompson, Michaela Watkins, Adam Scott…the list goes on.
The story begins with Molly (Poehler) and Joel (Rudd) on a double date with another couple trading stories of how they met. They insist that their meet cute is as classic as a “cheesy romantic comedy,” and proceed to tell an epic love story that spoofs multiple genre classics, including The Graduate, When Harry Met Sally, and You’ve Got Mail. Before she found love, Molly was a klutzy single mom who owned her own New York candy store, “Upper Sweet Side,” and had a passion for “fiction books,” which nobody else seemed to understand. Meanwhile, Joel was an executive at Candy Systems and Research assigned to put Upper Sweet Side out of business. But he also harbored a secret passion for fiction books and dreamed of one day owning his own coffee shop, “Cup of Joel.” It’s no mystery what happens next. Not every gag completely works, but there’s enough genuinely funny writing here to keep audiences laughing throughout the movie’s 83 entertaining minutes.
