American Ultra

So American Ultra is a movie I was pretty lukewarm on. On one hand you have a movie that is basically what happens when you take Pineapple Express and combine it with the Bourne movies. That's an interesting concept and I think that could be pretty funny. But on the other hand there's a lot going against this movie, mainly in its two star actors. Jesse Eisenberg is an actor who in my opinion misses more than he hits unless he is a introverted quiet geek with an slight dickish twist to him and Kirsten Stewart (or KStew as I call her) who in the past has been less interesting than a plank of wood. On top of that, while I have enjoyed Stoner comedies, they are not my favorite types of comedies. So I don't know, the concept was interesting but there's a reason I waited until this was on Hulu for me to watch it for free.

American Ultra centers around Mike Howell (played by Eisenberg) who is your pretty average stoner. He lives with his girlfriend Phoebe (played by KStew) and they're happy living their weed filled lives.

From the get go I noticed that this isn't your average stoner comedy. Mike suffers from severe anxiety and it fits with the stereotypical character Eisenberg usually plays, the quiet stuttering geek. He's been playing it for years, why quit now right?

But his anxiety isn't really a laughing matter in this film. There are some jokes in this movie but it does actually shine a light on mental disorders and especially relationships and how people deal with their partner having those issues. And while there are a lot of things in this movie that I didn't like, I did actually appreciate the honesty of the dynamic between KStew and Eisenberg. I felt like KStew was dealing with special circumstances in this relationship and it was an interesting look at that kind of dynamic. While I'm not wild about either of these actors, this relationship was genuine and I did enjoy them.

But that's why it feel just out of place. This really genuine relationship happens in the middle of this Jason Bourne rip off.

Turns out Howell is actually a sleeper agent for a failed CIA program and the agency has decided to terminate him so it is never revealed what they did to him and a bunch of other people. This initiative to take him out is directed by Topher Grace (I know he has a character name but he's really playing the same weak nerdy but overconfident character he's been playing since That 70's Show) and is being sabotaged by another agent (played by Connie Britton). Agents are sent to kill Howell but he is activated and instinctually defends himself with the speed and ruthlessness of a Jason Bourne type. So for the rest of the movie, you've got a stoner with anxiety problems kicking ass as a sleeper agent for the CIA.

Oh and Buster from Arrested Development, Bill Pullman, and John Leguizamo are also in this movie.

Right off the bat, let's talk about Jesse Eisenberg.

I don't know if its his face, or his hair, or his mannerisms, but I just can't enjoy Jesse Eisenberg. I've been trying to eventually watch a movie called Double that is supposed to be one of his greatest performances and yes I still need to see The Social Network, but while I have enjoyed movies that Eisenberg has performed in, I've never said Eisenberg was my favorite part.

This movie really doesn't help that reputation.

He's doing the same thing where he's the weak stuttering geek that society doesn't understand. He did it in Batman v Superman just with less stuttering. He did it in Zombieland. He's done it his entire career and I just don't see him changing from what works for him. If someone needs a geeky awkward smartass, let's call Jesse Eisenberg.

Again, I will point to all the parts where he's dealing with anxiety or he's going one on one with Kirsten Stewart where I'll concede, this character didn't always bother the shit out of me. But overall, I just wasn't wild about this character.

The same can really be said about KStew.

I didn't hate KStew in this movie. I didn't love her because I didn't love this movie but I felt like she was doing more than just Bella in this movie she has actually been rumored to have some acting chops. While this isn't the worlds greatest example, I felt like she gave a shit in this movie and I didn't want to punk her blank stare face.

And again, I liked her character because she's dealing with a partner with some kind of mental issue going on. But she's loyal to him, she's going to stand by him and she's going to support him.

I think I liked her character a little bit more than Jesse Eisenberg's character and at the end of the day, this is the best performance I've seen her give. I'm not familiar with her most recent work which I've heard is good but this wasn't bad.

The main thing about this movie is that it is a Stoner action comedy. Its not going to have Shakespearean method acting, its meant to be fun and give you a kick of laughter here and there.

The issue I have with this movie is that while I expect this movie to have blood, while I expect it to be graphic, and while those things didn't bother me on their own, the characters and the entire feel of this movie was just unpleasant.

I didn't have fun watching this movie, it felt like a really unpleasant chore with characters that only had a few redeeming qualities and a story that was basically a video game.

The visuals and the characters in this movie I don't think make for a very pleasant journey. And hey I didn't watch this stoned, but I can only imagine if someone did how unpleasant of a movie this might be for someone high.

Maybe I just don't get the humor and maybe I wasn't as invested in this movie as I was in The Big Short, but I did not really enjoy American Ultra. I thought it had some good ideas but the majority of this movie you can really pick up from the trailer and for me, if the movie doesn't do more than the trailer and it has some uneven tones, I can't really recommend it.

Its a pretty short and sweet review because there's really not much to else to say.

But what did you think? Am I missing some kind of greatness from this movie? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @cmhaugen24 as well as your requests for movies I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

I'll leave you with this. Like I said, you can get a lot of the plot from the trailer and its almost more fun. Here's that trailer. Enjoy!