They Came Together
They Came Together is a 2014 American satirical romantic comedy film directed by David Wain and written by Wain and Michael Showalter.[2] It is a parody of romantic comedies infused with Showalter and Wain's absurd approach. The film had its world premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival,[3] and was released theatrically (with a simultaneous release on iTunes) on June 27, 2014.[4]
They Came Together | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | David Wain |
Produced by | Michael Showalter |
Written by | David Wain Michael Showalter |
Starring | |
Music by |
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Cinematography | Tom Houghton |
Edited by | Jamie Gross |
Production company | Showalter-Wain |
Distributed by | Lionsgate |
Release date |
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Running time | 83 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $3 million[1] |
Box office | $82,780[1] |
Plot
Joel and Molly have dinner with an unhappy couple, Kyle and Karen, and recount how they first began dating. At the time, Molly owned a small-independent candy store, Upper Sweet Side, that was being bought out by Joel's company, a larger candy corporation called CSR. Joel lived with his girlfriend, Tiffany, until he caught her cheating on him with his coworker Trevor.
On their way to the same Halloween party, Joel and Molly meet. They initially fight, but end up going on a date, where Joel meets Molly's son from a previous relationship. Joel admits that he is not over his relationship with Tiffany, and Molly leaves angrily. Joel apologizes, and the two begin dating. They break up after a trip to Molly's parents' house, who are revealed to be white supremacists. Joel begins dating Tiffany again, and Molly begins dating her banker, Eggbert. Molly and Eggbert become engaged, and Joel realizes that he is still in love with Molly, and races to the wedding. He arrives to find that she has already left Eggbert at the altar, and goes to the Brooklyn Promenade to find her. They agree to get back together, but Molly's ex-husband Spike, who was just released from jail, confronts Joel. Joel wins the fight, and Spike is taken by the police, only to be shot in the head when he tries to escape. Joel and Molly get married, and Joel opens a coffee shop attached to Upper Sweet Side.
In the present, Joel and Molly reveal that they are getting divorced, as their marriage has since fallen apart due to increasing debts. Because of it Molly got addicted to pills and she started sleeping with Frank again. So, Molly and Joel mutually decided they should be friends. After telling their story to Kyle, Joel and Molly wonder and then agree giving their marriage another shot.
Cast
- Paul Rudd as Joel[2]
- Amy Poehler as Molly[2]
- Cobie Smulders as Tiffany Amber Thigpen[5]
- Christopher Meloni as Roland, Joel's boss[5]
- Max Greenfield as Jake
- Bill Hader as Kyle
- Ellie Kemper as Karen
- Jason Mantzoukas as Bob, Joel's best friend[5]
- Melanie Lynskey as Brenda
- Ed Helms as Eggbert Flaps[5]
- Noureen DeWulf as Melanie
- Michael Ian Black as Trevor[5]
- Michaela Watkins as Habermeyer
- Randall Park as Martinson
- Teyonah Parris as Wanda
- David Wain as Keith Flaps
- Jack McBrayer as Oliver
- Kenan Thompson as Teddy
- Ken Marino as Tommy
- Erinn Hayes as Valerie
- Zandy Hartig as Katherine
- Zak Orth as Waiter with Pole
- Norah Jones as Herself
- Adam Scott as Sound Engineer
- John Stamos as Assistant Engineer
- Maureen Mueller as Pam
- Michael Murphy as Roger
- Alberto Vazquez as Mexican Waiter
- Lynn Cohen as Bubby
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Frank
- Michael Shannon as Spike[5]
- Judge Judy Sheindlin as Herself
Production
The film was written by David Wain and Michael Showalter.[2] Rudd and Poehler participated in a table read of the script at the SF Sketchfest in January 2012.[2]
Release
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2014.,[6] the film went on to screen at the Sundance London Film Festival on April 26, 2014.,[7] and went on to screen at the Chicago Critics Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, BAMcinema Fest.,[8][9][10] The film was released in the United States on June 27, 2014 in a limited release and through video on demand by Lionsgate.[11]
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 68% based on 91 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critics consensus states: "They Came Together is surprisingly messy and perhaps too smart for its own good, but Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd's chemistry is enough to overcome many of the movie's flaws."[12] On Metacritic, it was assigned a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[13]
References
- "They Came Together (2014) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- Sneider, Jeff (May 9, 2012). "Rudd, Poehler team for rom-com parody". Variety. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
- "Sundance 2014: World Cinema Dramatic Competition". Retrieved May 5, 2014.
- Reiher, Andrea (May 1, 2014). "'They Came Together': Watch 'Parks and Rec' star Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd skewer rom-com cliches". Zap2it.com. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
- Bettinger, Brendan (August 1, 2012). "First Photos of Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, and Michael Shannon with a Sword on "They Came Together" Set". Collider. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
- Nashawaty, Chris (2014-01-25). "Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler give rom coms an 'Airplane!' twist: Sundance". EW.com. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
- "Sundance London 2014 Review – They Came Together (2014)". Flickeringmyth.com. 2014-04-26. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
- "They Came Together". The Chicago Critics Film Festival. 2014-05-09. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
- "They Came Together". SIFF. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
- Gordon Cox (2014-05-06). "N.Y. Will Get First Glimpses of 'Snowpiercer,' 'They Came Together' at BAMcinemaFest". Variety. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
- "Watch Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler Help Save Parodies In They Came Together Trailer". Cinemablend. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
- "They Came Together (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- "They Came Together Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 6, 2020.