MGM

Director: Jesse Peretz

Principle Actors: Zach Braff, Amanda Peet, Jason Bateman

Releasae Date: May 11, 2007

Genre: Romantic Comedy

FILM LENGTH: 90 minutes

RATING: PG-13

WEBSITE: www.theexmovie.com

3 ½ Stars

REVIEWED BY: Breanne Cursley

Funny and fresh, The Ex delivers a performance that keeps the audience giggling throughout the movie. The leading actor, Zach Braff, executes all his jokes with his usual bout of physical comedy, reminding the audience very much of his Scrubs character. I can’t say I absolutely loved the movie but it had its moments, which made it hard for me to determine whether or not I liked it. In the end I decided I would go with liking it because it was entertaining, despite it’s obvious similarities to many other films of its genre.

The Ex follows Tom Reilly (Zach Braff), a job changing chameleon, who loses his employment as a chef very early in the film, just before the birth of his and his wife, Sofia’s (Amanda Peet) child. After the birth of their baby they decide to move to Ohio, where Sofia’s father has a job in advertising waiting for Tom. Tom takes the job and on the first day is overwhelmed with the many…odd…people who work at the advertising agency, one of which is Chip; a wheelchair bound man who just happens to be an old flame of Sofia’s. Through numerous comedic events Chip tries to bring Tom down to get Sofia for himself, and in the end it is Sofia who must make a decision – either Chip, a seemingly ideal yet creepy guy or Tom, a loveable yet somewhat selfish man. Which one should a desperate woman choose?

This romantic comedy goes down smoothly, but I felt as though it needed a little something more, something original that would stop the audience in their tracks and stick in their heads, even after they leave the theatre. I’m not saying I was expecting an elaborate twist, but more oomph would definitely have done the film (and probably the box office) some good. This has absolutely nothing to do with the actors’ performances, which are delightful, such as Jason Bateman, who delivers a performance that has all the efforts of creating a love-to-hate character.

What I really enjoyed about this movie was the comedy. I’m not implying that it was a laugh-until-your-head-hurts film but it had clean comedy, something that is very rare to find in today’s movies. The writers obviously didn’t feel any pressure to include many drug or sexual references in the script, and this is an aspect of the film that stood out to me quite particularly. By doing this the writers left the audience that they were targeting very wide, something that could have helped them a considerable amount.

All in all The Ex was enjoyable, amusing the audience for the short 90 minutes they occupied the theatre. I wouldn’t suggest rushing out to the cinema to watch it or buying it on DVD but perhaps renting it on a night when you need a nice light movie, something cheery and fun that offers a good laugh.