They Came Together is a 2014 American satirical romantic comedy film directed by David Wain and written by Wain and Michael Showalter.[2] The film stars Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler, with supporting roles from Cobie Smulders, Christopher Meloni, Bill Hader, Ellie Kemper, Melanie Lynskey, and Ed Helms.
| They Came Together | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | David Wain |
| Written by | David Wain Michael Showalter |
| Produced by | Michael Showalter |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Tom Houghton |
| Edited by | Jamie Gross |
| Music by |
|
Production company | Showalter-Wain |
| Distributed by | Lionsgate |
Release dates |
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Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3 million[1] |
| Box office | $82,780[1] |
Joel and Molly, over dinner with couple Kyle and Karen, recount their entire relationship. It is a parody of romantic comedies infused with Showalter and Wain's absurd approach.
The film had its world premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival,[3] and was released theatrically (with a simultaneous release on iTunes) on June 27, 2014.[4]
Plot
editAs Joel and Molly have dinner with unhappy couple Kyle and Karen, they recount how they first began dating in NYC. At the time, Molly owned a small independent candy store, Upper Sweet Side, that was being pushed out-of-business by Joel's company, a larger candy corporation called CSR.
Joel lived with his girlfriend, Tiffany, until he caught her cheating on him with his coworker Trevor. Ironically, he found them when he had gone home to propose, with roses and an engagement ring in hand. Trevor is also a rival at work, stealing an account from him and vying for the same promotion.
On their way to the same Halloween party, Joel and Molly bump into each other. They were both invited by their respective best friends to set them up and ironically come dressed in identical costumes. Although they initially fight, they come across each other in a second-hand book store and end up going on a date.
Joel and Molly bond after hours in a coffee shop, bonding over many things they have in common. She invites him home for dinner, where Joel meets Molly's son Tucker from a previous relationship. Later, on the front steps, he admits that he is not over Tiffany, and Molly goes in angrily.
Joel goes to the sweet shop to apologize, but both take so long getting ready, him rehearsing out front and Molly going through a montage of trying on outfits, that they miss each other. He eventually says sorry over the phone, and they begin dating. Following a video montage of the couple laughing and enjoying themselves in piles of leaves, the greengrocer's etc, they do a road trip so Joel can meet her parents.
Driving to the countryside to meet Molly's parents, Joel discovers they are white supremacists. He and Molly argue and break up. Joel begins seeing Tiffany again, as Trevor dumped her and goes back to his life before Molly. She begins dating her banker, Eggbert, although they clearly have little in common.
As Molly and Joel share friends, they coincide at the usual autumn festivities. Molly and Eggbert become engaged at New Year's. Joel realizes that he is still in love with her, so breaks up with Tiffany, who reveals she is actually Judge Judy. Months later, just after he prevents CSR from destroying Upper Sweet Side, he races to the wedding. Joel arrives to find that she has already left Eggbert at the altar, so he goes to the Brooklyn Promenade to find her. All of the wedding guests follow Joel there.
After Joel makes a speech declaring his love, after several interruptions, they agree to get back together. Molly's ex-husband Spike, who was just released from jail, confronts Joel. They have a fight, which Joel wins, and Spike is again apprehended by the police (only to suddenly be executed on site). Joel and Molly get married one year later, and Joel unveils a folding coffee table now placed outside Upper Sweet Side, which he calls Cup of Joel.
In the present, Joel and Molly reveal that they are getting divorced, as their marriage has since fallen apart due to their failed business venture and increasing debts. Because of it Molly got addicted to pills and started sleeping with an old boyfriend (Frank) again. So, Molly and Joel mutually decided they should be friends. After they finish telling their story to Kyle and Karen, both couples wonder and then agree to give their marriages another shot.
Cast
edit- Paul Rudd as Joel[2]
- Amy Poehler as Molly[2]
- Cobie Smulders as Tiffany Amber Thigpen[5]
- Christopher Meloni as Roland, Joel's boss[5]
- Max Greenfield as Jake
- Bill Hader as Kyle
- Ellie Kemper as Karen
- Jason Mantzoukas as Bob, Joel's best friend[5]
- Melanie Lynskey as Brenda
- Ed Helms as Eggbert Flaps[5]
- Noureen DeWulf as Melanie
- Michael Ian Black as Trevor[5]
- Michaela Watkins as Habermeyer
- Randall Park as Martinson
- Teyonah Parris as Wanda
- David Wain as Keith Flaps
- Jack McBrayer as Oliver
- Kenan Thompson as Teddy
- Ken Marino as Tommy
- Erinn Hayes as Valerie
- Zak Orth as Waiter With Pole
- Norah Jones as herself
- Adam Scott as Sound Engineer
- John Stamos as Assistant Engineer
- Michael Murphy as Roger
- Lynn Cohen as Bubby
- Michael Shannon as Spike
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Frank
- Judge Judy Sheindlin as herself
Production
editThe film was written by David Wain and Michael Showalter.[2] Rudd and Poehler participated in a table read of the script at the SF Sketchfest in January 2012.[2]
Release
editThe film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2014.,[6] the film went on to screen at the Sundance London Film Festival on April 26, 2014.,[7] and went on to screen at the Chicago Critics Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, BAMcinema Fest.[8][9][10] The film was released in the United States on June 27, 2014 in a limited release and through video on demand by Lionsgate.[11]
Reception
editOn review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 70% based on 97 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critics consensus states: "They Came Together is surprisingly messy and perhaps too smart for its own good, but Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd's chemistry is enough to overcome many of the movie's flaws."[12] On Metacritic, it was assigned a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[13]
References
edit- ^ a b "They Came Together (2014) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Sneider, Jeff (May 9, 2012). "Rudd, Poehler team for rom-com parody". Variety. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
- ^ "Sundance 2014: World Cinema Dramatic Competition". 10 January 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
- ^ Reiher, Andrea (May 1, 2014). "'They Came Together': Watch 'Parks and Rec' star Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd skewer rom-com cliches". Zap2it.com. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Bettinger, Brendan (August 1, 2012). "First Photos of Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, and Michael Shannon with a Sword on "They Came Together" Set". Collider. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
- ^ Nashawaty, Chris (2014-01-25). "Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler give rom coms an 'Airplane!' twist: Sundance". EW.com. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
- ^ "Sundance London 2014 Review – They Came Together (2014)". Flickeringmyth.com. 2014-04-26. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
- ^ "They Came Together". The Chicago Critics Film Festival. 2014-05-09. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
- ^ "They Came Together". SIFF. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
- ^ Gordon Cox (2014-05-06). "N.Y. Will Get First Glimpses of 'Snowpiercer,' 'They Came Together' at BAMcinemaFest". Variety. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
- ^ "Watch Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler Help Save Parodies In They Came Together Trailer". Cinemablend. 29 April 2014. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
- ^ "They Came Together (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ "They Came Together Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 6, 2020.