These days comedies have become extremely formulaic, to the point of becoming repetitive and uninspiring.  We’ve grown accustomed to the Judd Apatow or Adam Sandler school of laughs in movies, and most audience expect little to nothing more.  Occasionally a comedy comes along that almost feels like a throwback to the good old days of cinematic humor… harkening back to classics like ANIMAL HOUSE and MEATBALLS, both of which hold a special place in my moviegoing heart.  A GOOD OLD FASHIONED ORGY is a movie I expected to be underwhelmed by, especially since it was apparently filmed in 2008 and is just now getting released.  It stars Saturday Night Live‘s Jason Sudeikis, Tyler Labine (TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL), Leslie Bibb (IRON MAN and IRON MAN 2), Lindsay Sloane (SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE), Nick Kroll (Children’s Hospital), Lake Bell (also Children’s Hospital), Michelle Borth (Combat Hospital), Angela Sarafyan (THE INFORMERS), Martin Starr (Party Down), Lucy Punch (BAD TEACHER) and Will Forte (also from SNL).  It’s written and directed by Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck, and in this reviewer’s opinion, it’s surprisingly one of the funniest and most satisfying comedies to hit this year.

Eric (Sudeikis) and his friends like to spend their free time having wild and crazy parties inside a house (owned by Eric’s rich father – Don Johnson in a brief cameo) they all occupy.  Each of them have problems either with personal motivations, or job status, or the relationship department.  One day Eric’s dad shows up unexpectedly, and informs his son the house is going up for sale, which will force Eric and his friends to find another place to live… a thought that doesn’t sit well with any of them.  A realtor Dody (Lin Shaye) and her assistant Kelly (Bibb) start the aggressive process of getting the home on the market, leaving Labor Day as the most likely move-out date.  Knowing co-habitation time is running out, the group decides the best way to end their time together is with a BIG final party.  That party is to be an orgy, a way for them to share each other in the most intimate and extreme way before potentially saying goodbye forever.  Eric and McRudden (Labine) do a little reasearch, which leads to the entire group doing even more research, and the countdown to the Labor Day deadline.  But throughout the process, Eric becomes infatuated with Kelly, giving the group’s Alpha Dog second thoughts.  Do these friends who are so close to one another have what it takes to go through with this life-changing act?

Granted, adult comedies like this aren’t for everyone, but those who enjoy them rarely get one that’s as consistently funny or satisfying without some major sacrifices.  A GOOD OLD FASHIONED ORGY doesn’t pretend to be anything revolutionary or stellar, it’s just a fun time at the movies.  In some ways I think Hollywood has forgotten how to make an “adult comedy” without following a cookie cutter formula.  Case in point, OUR IDIOT BROTHER, which had immense potential, ends up being rather forgettable with flat characters.  This movie does a good job making the principal roles likable and amusing, led surprisingly well by Sudeikis (hot off the heels of his entertaining performance in HORRIBLE BOSSES) and Labine.  Another surefire way for a proper adult comedy like this to succeed is to not wimp out in the most key moments.  The movie delivers what it promises without making it uncomfortable or terribly forced, and leaves the audience satisfied and amused.  The performances by each actor and actress are done with sincerity and enthusiasm, which comes across in the most simplistic scenes, with each of them getting their own little glory moments in what could have easily been a messy script.  I also liked the fact that the characters are a mix of sexy and somewhat normal-looking people – this isn’t the Friends cast deciding they want to fool around together, but rather realistic-looking pals making an intimate decision on how they can experience the ultimate form of bonding.  Perhaps the only weak point are with Will Forte and Lucy Punch, both competent comedic performers who are sadly underused in their roles as newly married parents eager to join in the blowout bash.  Leslie Bibb also falls short of being the likable love interest the filmmakers were probably hoping for.  I never cared much for her, nor did I buy into the budding relationship between her and Sudiekis… and toward the film’s finish, I actually found myself wishing her character would just disappear completely.  I’ve enjoyed Bibb in other movies, so it may just be this particular role which doesn’t work and not the fault of the actress.

Make no mistake, this is a film for mature audiences.  There’s scenes in a sex club (featuring the always-funny David Koechner) that get pretty graphic, and even the amusing scenes involving sexual research get pretty extreme.  But to me, A GOOD OLD FASHIONED ORGY never tries to mask the fact it’s a sex comedy – something you can easily decipher solely from the film’s title.  It’s not necessarily a smart movie or even a comedy to end all comedies like it, but it is filled with laughs and fun for open-minded adults tired of watered down PG-13 humor.  In many ways, it may just be one of the more pleasing bits of silliness to hit screens in quite sometime.

A GOOD OLD FASHIONED ORGY opens September 2, 2011

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