Why Him? (2016)

“Why Him?” stars James Franco, Bryan Cranston, Zoey Deutch, Megan Mullally, Griffin Gluck, and Keegan-Michael Key.  Released on December 23, 2016, the film is about a father who gets into a feud with his daughter’s boyfriend.

The film is directed by John Hamburg, who also directed Safe Men, Along Came Polly, and I Love You, Man.  Remember that feeling you get when your teenage daughter introduces her new boyfriend to you?  That’s pretty much the best way for me to describe this latest R-rated comedy.  Hamburg is no stranger to this type of concept, mostly because he was one of the screenwriters for the 2000 comedy, Meet the Parents, which also has a similar concept.  James Franco has been pretty successful as a comedy star lately, but now that he’s teaming up with Breaking Bad star, Bryan Cranston, will his comedic streak continue with this film?

Pros:
Good performances from the cast.

Cranston and Franco delivered some pretty entertaining chemistry together.

The humor was hilarious.  There were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments to go around.

Cons:
The story was formulaic and predictable.

At some points, the humor can get in the way of its nicer moments, such as Franco’s consistent swearing.

Final thoughts: Despite the plot being formulaic, “Why Him?” offers enough R-rated laughs to deliver a surprisingly good time at the movies.  It’s the type of film that you just go in and laugh at Franco dropping some F-bombs or laugh at Cranston being a crazy, overprotective father.  Either way, you’ll be satisfied at what this film has to offer.

B-