Stream It or Skip It?

Obviously not everyone can keep track of every movie that their favorite actors have starred in. But it’s still remarkable to realize how many movies seem to barely exist despite nearly all-star casts. Get a Job has been trending on HBO Max, maybe because it’s a comedy starring Miles Teller, Anna Kendrick, and Bryan Cranston, among many others, that it’s easy enough to mistake for a new movie, because it was barely released back when it actually came out in 2016. It also runs an attractive 84 minutes; what could be better for a no-fuss movie night than a short, star-packed comedy about the relatable subject of job-hunting? Well, read on to find out whether that understandable assumption is correct.

GET A JOB: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Movies about college and post-college life, especially those that aren’t de facto frat comedies, have been relatively scarce. (Less so in the 21st century, but still less popular than coming-of-age high school movies.) It’s pretty much Noah Baumbach, and then a steep, steep drop. Get a Job attempts to chronicle that tumultuous period between college and the beginnings of a stable career, following Will Davis (Miles Teller), an aspiring videographer; Roger (Bryan Cranston), his recently laid-off father; and Jillian Stewart (Anna Kendrick), his college sweetheart as they navigate the bumpy world of job-searching, job-keeping, and career-making. Because this movie was made within a five-year vicinity of a Judd Apatow hit, Will has a bunch of stoner-y slob friends along for the ride (and their own wafer-thin subplots), too. In fact, the movie is oddly pitched between twentysomething coming-of-age and zany-misfit ensemble comedy.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: It’s not witty enough to draw comparisons to Kicking and Screaming or Frances Ha. It’s more like the little-seen Alexis Bledel vehicle Post-Grad, though, again, the clear intention is to emulate vintage Apatow.

Performance Worth Watching: Almost none of the performances in this movie are particularly good. What’s worth watching, or is at least compelling throughout the movies 80 minutes and change, is how somehow, this modest and somewhat dimwitted comedy was able to fill out role after role with familiar faces, as if the filmmakers were experimenting with assembling an all-name-actor cast. Granted, a few of these folks, like Succession‘s Nicholas Braun, simply weren’t all that well-known back in 2016 (or when the movie was actually shot, which we’ll get to momentarily). But in addition to Teller, Kendrick, and Cranston in the lead roles, the movie’s supporting cast and sometimes bit parts are filled out by the likes of Braun, Alison Brie, Marcia Gay Harden, John C. McGinley, Brandon T. Jackson, John Cho, Bruce Davison, Greg Germann, McLovin, Jay Pharoah from SNL, Hurley from Lost, and Marc Maron. Almost all of these people were at least somewhat known a decade ago. Kendrick is an obvious candidate for best-in-show, not because the movie gives her much of anything to work with, but because she’s one of the most singularly charming and watchable performers out there.

Memorable Dialogue: When Teller tells his dad that his dyed beard makes him look like Billy Mays, Cranston doesn’t know who that is and only gets more annoyed: “You’re gonna tell someone off, make it clear!” This may not have been intended as a critique of knockoff-Apatow-style reference riffing, but it works as one.

Sex and Skin: Well, the movie certainly treats Anna Kendrick as a sex object (albeit a sex object of reason) for Teller’s character; many of their scenes feature her straddling or parading in front of him. Alison Brie also gets a lot of barely-even-innuendos as Teller’s horny coworker. Skin, though, is mostly outsourced to a scene at a strip club.

Our Take: Some of the mystery surrounding the all-star cast of Get a Job can be solved by its unusually lengthy and apparently rights-based time on the shelf. Though it received a tiny theatrical release in 2016, the movie was shot a full presidential election cycle earlier, back in 2012. That explains the presence of some of its famous ensemble; it was shot before Pitch Perfect and Whiplash were released, boosting the careers of Kendrick and Teller, respectively. But Bryan Cranston had already been nominated for multiple Emmys. Marcia Gay Harden already had an Oscar. What attracted them to this screenplay? For that matter, what brought on Dylan Kidd, the talented indie director who made Roger Dodger and P.S.?

It’s especially vexing because while Get a Job is largely unfunny, it’s also more than faintly reactionary in its treatment of millennials on the job hunt. The movie opens with an obnoxious extended dig at “participation trophies” that supposedly made a whole generation of kids too soft and expectant of praise; you’d think a movie that’s specifically about a Boomer-aged dad and his millennial son both searching for employment might address who was actually awarding participation trophies before turning around to complain about them. (Hint: not young people!) But no, the movie sticks with superficial observations whenever possible — if that. Sometimes, it gets so contemptuous of its own characters that they come across as incoherent. Is Teller’s Will a brash go-getter, a cocky youth-culture maven, or an idiot with no apparent understanding of office etiquette despite frequent pep talks from his office-lifer dad? It’s difficult to say. The important thing is, apparently, that its characters repeatedly brandish bongs (and talk about brandishing bongs). Despite the presence of Christopher Mintz-Plasse (as a truly creepy and unpleasant character who we’re supposed to find zany and mildly misguided), this isn’t Superbad for twentysomethings. It’s not even remedial Accepted. It’s a movie that I can’t imagine any member of its massive cast feels proud of.

Our Call: As tempting as it might be to watch any 80-minute movie starring Anna Kendrick, it’s probably best if you SKIP IT.

Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) is a writer living in Brooklyn. He’s a regular contributor to The A.V. Club, Polygon, and The Week, among others. He podcasts at www.sportsalcohol.com, too.

Stream Get a Job on HBO Max