Throughout the setup of this film I thought I was going to completely hate it. I wasn't laughing at all and I was actually becoming annoyed with the characters--especially Nicki Minaj's. But it wasn't until Leslie Mann gets involved when it turns this stupid premise into a laughable movie. I've never been sure of how I felt about her, but her typical self-pitying character actually worked in this one, and I think she was at her career best with her role in this film. She was just hilarious. If it wasn't for her, I would have hated this movie. The jokes shouldn't even be all that funny, but her timing and wit make every gag that much better. You don't realize what she brings to a film until you see one where everything around seems to be caving except for her.
It's completely predictable and totally ridiculous--especially Mark's fit-throwing at the end--but if you bear with it for about 25 minutes it will become watchable from there on out. It could have taken a messy turn and become one of those films where three women all fight over the same man and then we're supposed to laugh at the great distances they go to in order to ruin the other woman. Instead, it showed how a terribly bad thing for 2 people can become something great for both of them mutually.
Comedy wise, the jokes are not ridiculously clever or even memorable for the most part. Most of the things they did to "get back" at Mark could have been a bit more original. It's a true case of how solid delivery can make you blind to how unfunny something is. But in the meantime, at least you can enjoy some good delivery. With that said, I can clearly understand why people either loved or hated this film.
Twizard Rating: 74
