If you’re looking for a funny, entertaining and downright charming big-budget studio comedy, you could do much worse than this. Although it’s not perfect and has an unfortunate habit of meandering sometimes (leading to a rather padded running time), this movie is just so much fun from beginning to end. John Cena, Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz all seem to be having the time of their lives in their respective roles, and each has a number of stand-out moments. Cena, in particular, has an extended scene involving beer chugging that showcase his surprising go-for-broke comedic tendencies, and he shares terrific chemistry with everyone else in the movie. There are a number of warm, endearing moments along the way that manage to avoid being cloying or strained, and the movie’s teenage characters are impressively well-treated by the perceptive and insightful screenplay.
Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)
