This movie is about people who make beer and the people who love them. Unlike the Beer Wars movie, I hope this is a better synergy of my two blog-a-riffic things - beer and movies.
Turns out, this movie isn't really about making beer. They mention wort, and they show some barrels, talk about putting beer in cans, and show us lots of vats, but they don't actually seem to make much beer. Jake Johnson is the guy who plays the only actual brewer in this movie, and we don't actually see him do a whole lot of brewing. His acting was decent enough, but his character feels like it's background for what is going on.
Anna Kendrick plays the brewer's fiancée, and she has a more prominent role. it's possible I was thrown off by Jake's beard, as it makes it hard to read his emotion. Anna was a virtual open book. She almost exaggerated all of her feelings a bit too much.
The real focus of the movie is the power couple of Olivia Wilde and Ron Livingston. Really, they are the reason I was willing to watch this movie in the first place. I've like Olivia since I saw her on House, and I've liked Ron since his role in Office Space. Ron plays the boyfriend who doesn't really understand her life or friends, and he has likely matured past the point that she is. Olivia is a promotions manager for the beer brewer, and that is where we link the two couples.
The story is ostensibly about some friends who like to drink together and the relationships that will or will not endure as a result. Realistically, it seems that Ron's character is simply more mature than Olivia, and he has gone past the point in his life when he wants to go out drinking every night. Yet, that's all that the other three seem to do.
I have no idea where they have the time or money to drink as much as they do, either. Even if they got some kind of brewer's discount, they are racking up some serious bar tabs with their constant drinking of beer and occasional augmenting it with shots. I can't believe they are breaking even at this point.
So, the pacing of the movie is the biggest problem. It is a lazy, meandering story that takes forever to go anywhere, and I'm not sure I even cared when it finally got there. My wife didn't even make it more than a half hour into the movie before deciding that it was just too boring to watch.
Directing was a bit off
Acting was good
Story was not enough
The beer was inconsistent
Dialog seemed drawn out
1.5/5