Earlier, we showed you a Godzilla trailer that hinted at a monstrous battle between two forces of epic strength and polar agendas. We thought that we saw the beginnings of a knockdown, drag out battle that would leave all in its wake gasping for air, and running for cover. Apparently, we were wrong, as David Wain and Michael Showalter have crafted a film that’s not only calling out writers of straightforward romantic comedies, but also those that have made a mockery of the parody genre. If you thought Godzilla versus Muto was going to be the biggest battle of the summer, then you need to watch the trailer we’ve just seen for They Came Together.
Buzzfeed scooped the trailer to the film, which stars Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler as a couple who meet due to adversarial business matters, but end up falling in love in spite of their diametrically opposed lifestyles. The trailer shows the standard romantic comedy through line, but tints each moment with the comedic timing and style of The Zucker Brothers, circa the Airplane era. Coming along for the ride with Rudd and Poehler are a ton of comedic actors (like Bill Hader, Jack McBrayer, and Colbie Smulders) that aren’t immune to starring in romantic movies themselves.
What the trailer excels at is showcasing the filmmaker’s twist on those big moments we all know and love/loathe from mushy movies like You’ve Got Mail or Along Came Polly (both of which get roasted here, in full view). Instead of playing these obviously funny versions of events for laughs, Wain’s direction looks like it plays them as they should be played – with a deadpan sense of humor. It might not seem like a hard choice, but when you look at how many times The Wayans Family or Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg have gotten away with their poisonous brand of shtick, you realize that good parody is harder than most people will admit. The dialogue does seem to be a little too "on the nose," but again – we live in a world where just mentioning the name of a movie is supposed to be a punchline. We’ve seen a lot worse, folks.
If any couple could properly send up the traditional romantic comedy formula, Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler would be them. They Came Together will be released on video on demand, as well as in a limited theatrical release, on June 27th. If you want another taste of what’s to come, check out this clip from the film that we ran back in January.
