Kristen Wiig had already won me over with Bridesmaids and this is just further proof that she has the comedic chops to carry an entire movie. It revolves around her character Alice Klieg, who was taking meds for her Borderline Personality Disorder before she won the lottery and subsequently ditched her psychiatrist and used the money to make her own talk show. She's a die-hard fan of Oprah so her show is basically Oprah except there are no guests or anything. It's all about her. Hence, the title of the show (and movie) "Welcome to Me".
The comedy in this movie is extremely deadpan. If you're not a fan of that style, then you will not like this movie. It's like the awkward humor of Bridesmaids mixed with the underlying seriousness of Love & Other Drugs, and the usual quirky Wiig mannerisms that make her such a likable and charming lead. There are sad moments in the movie, there are laugh-out-loud funny moments as well, most if not all of which come from Wiig and her drab interactions with other people. Alice is completely in her own world - she acts almost sociopathic towards other humans. She's very crass and has no filters with what she says making for some extremely uncomfortable and hilarious situations. But it's obvious that she has good intentions and a good heart, which makes her great as a sympathetic lead.
The supporting cast are all great. I can't single out every one but I will say that this is James Marsden's best role in a while. He plays a network executive who picks up the talk show, and he has some good material to work with this time. It shows the more dramatic side of his acting chops instead of being a cardboard cutout romantic lead like he was in crap like The Best of Me and Walk of Shame. The whole cast is brilliant really, with the obvious highlight being Kristen Wiig absolutely embodying this character to a tee. It's the performance of her career so far without a doubt.
The only real complaint I have is that the tone of the movie isn't very consistent. It's not even due to the subject matter, because Love & Other Drugs and 50/50 also dealt with both disease and comedy and found a perfect balance between them. Welcome to Me just feels clunky at times, pacing wise, and it makes for a few dull spots here and there.
Again, if you're not a fan of deadpan, dry, sarcastic humor then this movie is not for you. However it is a wonderful dramedy that makes you think, laugh, and maybe even appreciate life just a little more.
The comedy in this movie is extremely deadpan. If you're not a fan of that style, then you will not like this movie. It's like the awkward humor of Bridesmaids mixed with the underlying seriousness of Love & Other Drugs, and the usual quirky Wiig mannerisms that make her such a likable and charming lead. There are sad moments in the movie, there are laugh-out-loud funny moments as well, most if not all of which come from Wiig and her drab interactions with other people. Alice is completely in her own world - she acts almost sociopathic towards other humans. She's very crass and has no filters with what she says making for some extremely uncomfortable and hilarious situations. But it's obvious that she has good intentions and a good heart, which makes her great as a sympathetic lead.
The supporting cast are all great. I can't single out every one but I will say that this is James Marsden's best role in a while. He plays a network executive who picks up the talk show, and he has some good material to work with this time. It shows the more dramatic side of his acting chops instead of being a cardboard cutout romantic lead like he was in crap like The Best of Me and Walk of Shame. The whole cast is brilliant really, with the obvious highlight being Kristen Wiig absolutely embodying this character to a tee. It's the performance of her career so far without a doubt.
The only real complaint I have is that the tone of the movie isn't very consistent. It's not even due to the subject matter, because Love & Other Drugs and 50/50 also dealt with both disease and comedy and found a perfect balance between them. Welcome to Me just feels clunky at times, pacing wise, and it makes for a few dull spots here and there.
Again, if you're not a fan of deadpan, dry, sarcastic humor then this movie is not for you. However it is a wonderful dramedy that makes you think, laugh, and maybe even appreciate life just a little more.