I've already been fooled once. When I see, 'Directed by Bob Odenkirk', I figure that the Mr. Show alumnus is devoting himself to a project at least of equal caliber to Mr. Show, the terrific HBO sketch-comedy show that is still relevant and fresh almost fifteen years after its inception. But Odenkirk directed the mostly terrible Let's Go To Prison - this movie is better, but not by very much.
I will grant that comedy on film is really hard, and the reason why it often does so poorly is that everyone involved can no longer tell what's funny after seeing it fifteen times. There's one moment in the film where à propos of nothing, Will Arnett's character is getting into a rooftop hot tub with the girl he's obsessed with. She is disgusted by him and leaves. After she leaves, he climbs out of the tub and kisses her wet footprint left on the ground. This is mildly funny. The picture begins to fade, showing us Will Arnett in bed - he's dreaming. He wakes up with a smile on his face. This is hilarious. Then the film makes a terrible 'wet dream' pun, and it ruins the dark humor of a character who is excited by the prospect of kissing his crush's remnants (in a dream, no less).
There's the makings of a good movie here, but ultimately it succumbs to the Comedy Movie Formula™.
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