DVD Movie Review - Back in the Day

Back in the Day stumbles down a few familiar roads, but still has enough surprises hidden up its sleeve that it doesn't fall completely flat on its face.

STORY:

Jim Owens (Michael Rosenbaum) an out of work actor, who continually auditions for his next big thing, is tired…Tired of his current failed acting career, tired of his girlfriend, tired of his living space, and especially tired of his choices in life.  When an invitation arrives for his high school reunion, he doesn't think twice about heading back to the small town of his childhood.  There to welcome him are old jokes, best friends, and his first love, Lori (Morena Baccarin).  Once back, Jim turns everyone's life upside down as he attempts to fix his own.  Pregnant bar shots, wiffle ball games, line dancing, mischief, and ass fragments ensue.

"It's okay.  Just let it out."

"I don't know...I just--I've been in love with you since you played a space prostitute 

on Firefly.  There, I've said it."

THOUGHTS:

Rosenbaum wrote and directed this movie, so it's understandable when some of the inside jokes (most of the movie's moments, characters, and story are inspired by Rosenbaum's past) fly completely over the audience's head.  It's like telling a really hilarious story to a bunch of people that just stare at you, when you get to the punch line.  In your head, what happened was funny, but you end up looking like a washed-up comedian.  So to salvage some pride you toss in the line, "Guess you had to be there."  This is what happens to most of the plot jokes contained within the movie.  But that doesn't mean there aren't some true gems lying underneath the surface.

Back in the Day attempts to be a raunchy comedy—even from the poster—but it remains more of a romantic comedy than anything else.  It's the tale of a man trying to find his way through a time in his life when nothing makes sense. And the only way he seems able to do that is by trying to tap into his past.  To make it even easier, you could say the movie falls into the familiar plot: boy meets girl, they fall in love, something happens, girl is mad at boy, boy tries to reconcile and BAM—finale.  Along the way are occasional funny bits, relatable situations, embarrassing moments, and life altering decisions.

"Tell me you didn't say anything about our massive porn collection in the barn to Lana.  Tell me!"

"It might have slipped..."

Michael Rosenbaum is the star of the film as you'll experience his past and present predicaments through his eyes.  If you're only familiar with the man cast as Lex Luthor on Smallville, then you really don't know Rosenbaum at all.  He's actually the type of person always looking for a laugh or at least trying to create one.  It might even boggle the mind as to why he was cast as Luthor (even though he played the role perfectly) in the first place.  So in Back in the Day, Jim Owens is the perfect character for Rosenbaum.  Owens is the funny, witty, goofy friend you can always count on for a good time.  He's not the film's main joker, but does help with the humor delivery by adding perfect reactions and expressions where needed.  As for Rosenbaum's chemistry with Morena Baccarin, any man would be happy to have her as a co-star.  And Lex Luthor is no exception, easily falling for her charming smile.

Baccarin has the ability to light up a scene just by showing up in front of the camera.  And by having her attached to the cast, the film is instantly brought up a notch.  There's no need for her character to bring the laughs, as most of Jim's friends are the humor department.  So all she really needs to do is become the lost love of every man's dream.  And she's been doing that since Firefly, so fitting into the sweet, beautiful ex-girlfriend comes naturally with her flawless acting.  Harland Williams plays skunk, the "retarded" friend, and also the movie's biggest source of humor.  If you’re going to laugh, it'll be during his stupidity on screen.  Whether he's sticking fart fingers in front of his kid or jamming a microphone in his wife's face, he's sure to please anyone who enjoys silly humor.  Liz Carey plays Angie Kramer, the white trash comedic highlight of the film.  Her disheveled, pregnant mother character spends all her time pounding shots, smoking, and looking for love in all the wrong places.  The rest of the cast fades into the background, aside from Nick Swardson, whose tired jokes stopped being funny since his first Adam Sandler film.

"Holy crap!  Was that a chicken or an old lady?"

"I'm not going to jail for either, so floor it."

SO WHO IS THIS MOVIE REALLY FOR?

Back in the Day isn't a complete waste of time, nor does it become a comedy masterpiece.  The problem is it shoe-horned itself into a genre that only a small majority of people will enjoy.  Younger audiences can't relate to how much of a downer life can be, because they're still riding high on drugs, video games, and their parents money.  And the older audiences won't have anything to with this film, because there are scenes involving bouncing wangs, toilet papering a house, drunk wiffle ball games, and mooning while driving.  So the film's left with a 25 to 35 year old audience bracket that must like silly comedies, and at some point, must have questioned their own choices in life.  Anyone else will find this movie un-relatable and a humongous waste of time.

"How much dirt do you think we'll get on top of him, before he realizes we're burying him alive?"

"He looks pretty frigging dead to me, so probably all of it."

CONCLUSION:

Back in the Day dances to familiar comedy songs, but in the end, can surprise you with a few laughs here and there.  Will it garner a spot in your movie collection?  Probably not.  But if you're in the age bracket mentioned above and need a comedy for date night, then you can't beat the rental price.

2 out of 5 Stars (minus 3 stars for cliché plot and jokes...and for including Nick Swardson)