The Ex

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Ola G Living in Manhattan, Tom (Zach Braff) is a cook who has difficulty keeping a steady job. His wife, Sofia (Amanda Peet), is an attorney. When their first child is born, they agree that she will be a full-time mom and he will work hard to get promoted. When Tom gets fired after defending his friend Paco, he takes a job in Ohio working at the ad agency where his father-in-law is the assistant director. Assigned to report to Chip (Jason Bateman), who is a strict and hard-working paraplegic and Sofia's ex-boyfriend from high school. Chip is still obsessed with her, so he conspires to make Tom's work life miserable. As Tom's frustrations mount, he seems to sway Sofia to his side... Rotten Tomatoes consensus states: "The Ex suffers from inept direction and characters that are either unsympathetic or plain unpleasant to watch." Several film critics said the film felt truncated. Lou Lumenick of the New York Post said the film "seems arbitrarily edited to squeeze in extra screenings before it's killed by word-of-mouth." Film critics also felt that the majority of the cast's talents were wasted. Many film critics also compared the film to a sitcom. Pam Grady of Reel.com said the film "never rises above the level of a TV show grotesquely inflated for the big screen." Jesse Peretz was criticized for his direction by many critics. Phoebe Flowers of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel said the film was "directed with a breathtaking lack of instinct by Jesse Peretz." A few critics described the film as half-baked. Sean Means of The Salt Lake Tribune said "It's like undercooked lasagna: lots of layers, but the flavors never blend." Bill Muller of The Arizona Republic said the film was Zach Braff's most average movie so far. Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer said that after The Last Kiss and Garden State, "Braff's shtick...is getting tired." Desson Thomson of The Washington Post said the film "marks an all-time low for actor Zach Braff -- his Gigli, if you will.." The screenwriters, David Guion and Michael Handelman, virtually disowned the finished film. Handelman said, "I think what we wrote was meant to be a bit less broad than the film that came out. I think a lot of what you see in either of those films is stuff that was not written by us even though we're the only credited writers on that." Guion added, "That movie was a bit of a cautionary story for screenwriters in terms of that it was a movie that struggled a little bit and didn't test well initially, and the financers panicked and said, 'We better show a lot of people getting hit in the balls'... It was unfortunate because the director, Jesse Peretz, is great and very talented, but the movie was ultimately taken out of his hands." Zach Braff and Jason Bateman were praised for their performances by several critics. Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel said "Braff and Bateman make this patchwork just funny enough to be worth our trouble." Jason Bateman was praised by several film critics as being the best part of the movie. David Nusair of Reel Film Reviews said "there's little doubt that Bateman deserves the lion's share of praise thanks to his scene-stealing work as Tom's hilariously smug nemesis." (Via Wikipedia) "The Ex" is an uneven and strange film with several truly unsympathetic characters specifically Jason Bateman´s Chip. The problem is that this is not funny, it's not dramatic it's just a mish mash that falls flat. And as Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer said that after The Last Kiss and Garden State, "Braff's shtick...is getting tired.", and that is just a fact that he is extremely one-dimensional as an actor. You could claim that Jason Bateman is that as well as he seems to play the same character over and over, but he still has something else in his performance that makes you forgive him for being a bit one-dimensional. Nice to see the lovely Amanda Peet, but her talent is wasted and the same goes for Charles Grodin, Paul Rudd and Amy Adams plus I have never liked Amy Pohler nor Fred Armisen. "The Ex" is a waste of time. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/13/24 Full Review Michelle Q "You don't hit a guy with a pork chop!" I just watched this movie in 2023 and think it's one of the most hilarious, silliest movies I have ever seen. It's a great late night movie and it's true comedy. Every character in this movie offers their own light of comedy. It's light hearted and great movie for potheads. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/05/23 Full Review steve d A comedy with as many laughs as a Saw marathon. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member It's good movie to watch Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member The best scene about this movie was the young kid swallowing a hamburger in 10 - 15 seconds.... The rest of the story line was utter trash, Jason Bateman was so much of an asshole it almost made this movie unwatchable Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member a few good laughs as jason bateman, an ex of a man's (zach braff) wife whom he works with, fakes having to use a wheelchair. He manipulates everyone into thinking Braff is the bad guy and turns family and his wife against him. Its at time hard to watch because his luck is soo bad and some laughs are spaced too far apart. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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