Wanderlust
Universal Pictures | Release Date: February 24, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
16
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumFeb 22, 2012
I don't know what tools of the trade Paul Rudd and director David Wain share to dream up the kind of inspired nutso stuff Rudd has done in smart-funny-raunchy winners like "Wet Hot American Summer" and "Role Models." But whatever it is, the two are in a groove - and backed up by some blissed-out creative co-conspirators. Read full review
75
NPRIan BuckwalterFeb 24, 2012
Wain's brand of humor thrives on stepping over the line - and then sprinting a few hundred yards past it. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleFeb 23, 2012
So this is a good comedy, as bad as it can be and still be good, but good. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie RickeyFeb 23, 2012
David Wain's riotous, raunchy, and more than a little raggedy showcase for Rudd's improv genius and Aniston's airy groundedness. He is gut-busting funny, she gently ticklish - ideal comic rapport. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesFeb 27, 2012
Being taken under Apatow's wing may have been a big career break for writer-director David Wain, but this lacks the sharp personality of some of his earlier movies. Read full review
70
The New YorkerDavid DenbyFeb 27, 2012
As broad and obvious as Wanderlust is, it's often very funny. [5 March 2012, p. 87]
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinFeb 24, 2012
It's not fresh terrain for satire, yet most of the jokes play riotously well. Read full review
70
Village VoiceNick PinkertonFeb 22, 2012
Though Wanderlust finally laughs off the real discomforting conclusion that it's edging toward, it's gut-busting funny when mocking their hopeless options. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeFeb 22, 2012
Stars Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston find themselves at home here, playing against a stock-raising performance by Justin Theroux as the charismatic libertine who prompts their adventure. Read full review
67
IndieWireEric KohnFeb 22, 2012
Alternately mortified and charmed by the unhinged lifestyle, the film goofily celebrates the idea of a societal escape before drowning its idealism in a puddle of half-formed jokes. Read full review
65
MovielineAlison WillmoreFeb 23, 2012
Wanderlust is an agreeable comedy that peters out halfway through. Read full review
63
New York PostLou LumenickFeb 24, 2012
A raunchy, often hilarious satire from the Judd Apatow stable that lacks any real bite. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia PuigFeb 23, 2012
Some of the players are endearingly goofy in this good-natured comedy, particularly Rudd and Theroux. But Wanderlust trundles along unevenly, never reaching the cleverly raucous state it seeks. Read full review
63
Rolling StonePeter TraversFeb 23, 2012
When the script sags, Wain and producer Judd Apatow rely on a top team of actors to keep you laughing. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineJesse CataldoFeb 23, 2012
Wagging a limp dick at a host of up-to-the-minute issues, Wanderlust, manages to feel current, and relatively funny, without ever becoming particularly pointed, resulting in a floppy but satisfactory middlebrow comedy. Read full review
60
SlateDana StevensFeb 24, 2012
Wanderlust is about two or three script passes away from being a consistently funny, dramatically coherent romantic comedy. Read full review
60
Boxoffice MagazineJames RocchiFeb 23, 2012
While "Role Models" mined riches even in the well-plowed comedic soil of cretins befriending kids, Wanderlust's equally musty city-vs-country culture clash plot finds only flecks of hilarity in mostly bland-to-bold mediocrity. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyFeb 23, 2012
If anything, the manic energy and aggressive sarcasm of Wain's "Role Models" (2008), which also starred Rudd, has become much more refined in Wanderlust, (well, as refined as something this raw can be). Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghFeb 23, 2012
It's not a top-shelf Apatow production, and by the end, it's obvious Wanderlust was a lot more fun to make than it is to watch. Read full review
60
Time OutKeith UhlichFeb 22, 2012
None of the hilarity is enough to keep Wanderlust from feeling like a late-night comedy-show sketch stretched to feature length. But why look a giggle-prone gift horse in the mouth? Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubNathan RabinFeb 23, 2012
The effortlessly charming Rudd - who is never funnier here than when trying to psych himself up for a tryst with commune-dweller Malin Akerman with a series of increasingly preposterous voices - and an attractive, game supporting cast nearly sell the warmed-over material. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesFeb 29, 2012
Wanderlust is flawed, too, but for its exploration of financial ruin and alternative lifestyles, it shows once again that Aniston, at the very least, knows which way the wind is blowing. Read full review
50
TimeMary PolsFeb 24, 2012
Wanderlust, a comedy that looks way better than it actually is set amidst the dreck of late winter releases. Read full review
50
The New York TimesManohla DargisFeb 23, 2012
For every few jokes that hit in this story about a recession-battered New York couple finding themselves on a Georgia commune, one sputters and dies. Read full review
50
Washington PostAnn HornadayFeb 23, 2012
Between this film and last summer's "Horrible Bosses," Aniston's coyness - starring in explicit movies without having to be explicit herself - seems to be becoming her stock in trade. It's not a particularly commendable one, and Wanderlust does little to disprove that she's still a star more suited to TV rather than the big screen. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliFeb 23, 2012
Okay, Wanderlust has its moments. It's sporadically funny - funny enough to deliver a good laugh or two. The problem is, it doesn't do more than that, and the comedy is inconsistent. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley MorrisFeb 23, 2012
This movie has no teeth. It does not want to say anything, other than the unprintable word for penis, over and over. Read full review
50
VarietyBrian LowryFeb 22, 2012
Despite some amusing moments, everyone simply works too hard at providing rambunctious zaniness, until one grows painfully aware the inevitable outtakes reel will be superior to the movie. Read full review
42
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerFeb 24, 2012
This movie is "Finian's Rainbow" for dunderheads. Rudd has a few amusing moments talking to himself in a mirror (he's trying to convince himself he's a stud) but he would have been better off talking himself out of this film. Read full review
42
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallFeb 24, 2012
If not for a few choice performance moments and a couple of peppy montages, Wanderlust would be cinematic compost, recycled and thoroughly smelly. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanFeb 23, 2012
Despite the calculated advance press about the movie's nudity, polygamy, dirty talk, etc., David Wain's comedy is depressingly banal. And all that breathless hype now feels like nothing more than manipulation. Read full review
38
Miami HeraldConnie OgleFeb 23, 2012
There's no real reason to see this movie. It's exhausting and pointless and not amusing enough to make up for its failings. You can do better. The filmmakers could have done better. Honestly, you're better off staying home and making hummus. Read full review
25
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenFeb 23, 2012
Film encyclopedias may beg to differ, the Cahiers du Cinéma might correct me, but, as far as your humble correspondent knows, Wanderlust is the first mainstream movie ever to star a Floppy Prosthetic Penis. Read full review
0
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternFeb 23, 2012
So you think you've seen silly? And smarmy? And inept? Wait till you see Wanderlust, though that's just a figure of speech; I'm not suggesting that you actually lay eyes on this naked grab for box office bucks. Read full review
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