First of all, I have not seen recently in an American movie such bad acting! Worst acting by Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde – so over the top, foney, literal, and patronizing the viewer. This is their depraved idea of playing in a comedy – so unprofessional, so provincial…The other two stars in the film, Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz, are trying to save face by just being more “natural”. When I come across rave reviews of the film, it feels like living in the bizzaro world. Has everyone gone dumb or simply all reviews are paid ?
The film is based on a play, a trashy one at that, by a popular Spanish writer, worth presenting by a touring unprofessional theater in provincial locations. It is predictable, humourless, and titillating the lowest common denominator of a provincial audience – sexually aroused by the prospect of swapping marital partners. All the supposed “twists” in the plot are cliches of the farcical genres and there is not a single scene in the film worth watching to its end without immense annoyance. In the end, marital harmony is restored, illustrated by the act of the two main characters playing the piano in four hands. You must be kidding me!