The Rocker (2008)

No real surprises, but enough laughs to hold your attention.

Rating: C

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

This is a really dumb movie. I'm not talking Dodgeball dumb or Dumb and Dumber dumb--it's much dumber. This isn't meant as an insult, since I actually enjoy dumb humor and dumb movies. It's uneven, but has enough funny moments to make it enjoyable.
More cameos than one can shake a stick at.

Rating: C

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)

Just as bonkers as the first; maybe more. Laughs were on and off again. The writers threw everything at the wall. Some of it stuck, some awkwardly slid to the floor. The big fight between the news teams was out of control, not to mention chalk full of cameos. This sequel delivers exactly what you expect it to.

Rating: C

The Sweetest Thing (2002)

I gave this one a second viewing recently. Before there was Bridesmaids, there was The Sweetest Thing. It’s a raunchy girl’s comedy where Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate, and Selma Blair are given free rein to be as bad as they want to be. The script is fast and loose, including some borderline fantasy montages that skew away from the main narrative. There’s a lot of comedy thrown against the wall. Some of it sticks, some of it doesn’t.

Rating: C

Hall Pass (2011)

It’s a shame this was a Farrelly Brothers picture instead of an Apatow one. It would have been a lot funnier. Hall Pass felt tired, forced, a deflated. Much like the wives at the start of the film. Owen Wilson isn’t funny. There’s no getting around that. But I blame the writing here. It was weak.

The premise of the movie had a lot of potential for laughs—few of which were delivered here. Nobody was allowed to cut loose like they did in better films such as Superbad, Bridesmaids, or Old School. The funniest gag of the movie was the “sneeze scene”. And the 30 second flash-forward clip after the credits rolled was funnier than the entire movie. You can safely skip this one.

Rating: D

Going The Distance (2010)

I think the ship has sailed on Drew Barrymore playing swinging single roles. Just because you can't handle serious acting roles doesn't mean you have to perpetually pretend you're just out of college. This movie had one thing working for it: the supporting cast. Isn't that always the case with these types of movies? Whether it's Sarah Silverman or the chick from Flight of the Conchords, these movies rely on their supporting cast of funny people to do all the heavy lifting. I would have rather seen a film about Justin Long's best friends or the bartender.

Rating: D+