Movie Review: Why Him?

Movie review: Why Him?

Why Him? is your typical "parents meet child's significant other and dislikes him/her" movie. However, the actors in the film are all great in their roles, and because of that, the movie was funnier than I expected it to be.

Stephanie (Zoey Deutch) has always been a daddy's girl - she and her dad, Ned (Bryan Cranston), are very close. However, she hasn't told him or her mom, Barb (Megan Mullally), that she's been seeing a new guy, for about a year now; they find this out in a hilarious way, involving Skype. Stephanie invites them and her brother, Scotty (Griffin Gluck), out to California to meet her new guy, Laird (James Franco), and there's another surprise: Laird is a tech mogul who lives in a multi-million dollar house, and he wants them all to stay there with him and Stephanie for the Christmas holiday.

Both Bryan Cranston and James Franco were hilarious in their roles here - I'm always amazed at how versatile an actor Cranston is (he was great in Breaking Bad), and Franco has a talent for playing wacky roles. Deutch (Dirty Grandpa) and Mullally (Parks & Recreation) were funny here too, and there's a slew of supporting cast members that you will most likely recognize, including Keegan-Michael Key as Franco's "estate manager," as well as his best friend, so Franco says; plus Zack Pearlman, Adam Devine (Pitch Perfect), Cedric the Entertainer, and Andrew Rannells (TV's Girls).

Yes, see this movie. It's definitely a bit raunchy, so it might not be one to take younger kids/teens to see, but I overall liked the film. The movie definitely reminded me of Meet the Parents in a way, but it also differed from that film in some ways. I'd save this film for a matinee, but it's definitely a lot funnier than other comedies currently playing that I've recently seen recently.

Why Him? is in theaters today, December 23, and is rated R with a runtime of approximately 105 minutes. 3.5 stars out of 5.


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