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A Critical Eye: "Race To Witch Mountain" And "I Love You Man"

By Daniel Smith- Managing Editor

Grade: A-

"I love you, Man" is a comedy starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, which follows the adventures of a friendship-match made in the awkward depths of high school. As Paul Rudd's character is about to get married to his amazing fiancé, he realizes that he has NO friends. He then goes on a long hunt to find friends, which results in several awkward man–dates, and an awkward kiss from a man.

One day, Rudd stumbles upon Segel at an Open House that Rudd is throwing for Lou Ferrigno. Rudd then brings back the moves of an awkward seventh-grader in their relationship and starts hanging out with Segel. Eventually, Rudd begins to find it hard to manage both his friend and his fiancé, so he tones down his friendship with Segel. This only makes him realize that he misses Segel as a friend. Rudd's fiancé saves the day by calling Segel and getting him to the wedding,  where Rudd and Segel go into a five -minute conversation about how they are both sorry and end up saying "I Love You, Man" in several different ways.

Overall, the movie was a good experience. It had some incredibly funny parts, and if I hadn't known that Rudd wasn't that un-cool outside of this movie I would have felt bad for him. I suggest going to see this movie and definitely buying it on DVD. It is a good addition to your Rudd movie collection.

Grade: B-

"Race to Witch Mountain" promises to be a fun- filled, action- packed movie for kids to enjoy, which unfortunately does not fully deliver. Starring washed out actor Dwayne Johnson, "Race to Witch Mountain" has few surprises in store for viewers who expect more of Disney. The premise behind the movie is that two aliens enlisted the help of a common cabbie - who has a criminal past- in order to help them save both their planet and Earth.

The plot screeches along for almost half of the movie before you even hear the words witch mountain or alien, and the fight scenes leave a lot to be desired. However, the visual effects department earns their paycheck by providing seamless transitions between solid states and explosions. They also do a great job animating the powers of the children.

Overall, the movie lacks something that I was expecting out of a Disney flick and leaves a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. I believe that it would have been better if it were an animated movie, but, without Pixar, Disney would have had some issues. It is a decent movie for teens and kids, but it does not strike me as a huge college seller.