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The Amateurs

Comedy about aspiring pornographers lacks the stamina to overcome a delayed release

By Geoff Berkshire

December 7, 2007

Critic's Rating:

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Andy Sargentee (Jeff Bridges) feels a bit emasculated after his ex-wife (Jeanne Tripplehorn) marries a rich man (Steven Weber). So he decides to produce a porn film with the help of his fellow small town residents (including Ted Danson, Tim Blake Nelson, Patrick Fugit, William Fichtner, Glenne Headly, Lauren Graham and Joe Pantoliano as the writer-director named "Some Idiot").

Big question: Filmed in the summer of 2004 (that's before George W. Bush was re-elected!), a production company's bankruptcy delayed this movie's release by more than two years. Was it worth the wait?

Skip it: The film's strained mix of raunchy and folksy humor fails to score many laughs—since it's apparently not enough to have a character named Some Idiot, there's also a duo named Moe (John Hawkes) and Ron (Brad Henke), get it?—but the ridiculously overqualified cast keeps things watchable. The always reliable Bridges can elevate anything, even his character's incessant narration (which practically begs forgiveness for the script's numerous contrivances and inconsistencies). Still, that doesn't mean anyone’s time was well spent by making the movie and neither is your's by watching it.

Catch it: If you’ve always thought bed store employees associate their jobs with sex like perky blonde Ellie (Judy Greer) does here.

Bottom line: There’s plenty of raw material here for a better movie, particularly in the lovely little romance between Bridges and Graham that develops over a handful of scenes. Unfortunately, it's just not much fun to watch first time director Michael Traeger aim for Capra-esque comedy and wind up closer to crap.

Bonus: There's an oddly prophetic subplot in which former "Grey's Anatomy" co-star Isaiah Washington plays a local man angry about getting fired from his role in the porn movie.

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