Bart Got a Room

Bart Got a Room is the story of a young man at the end of high school. Told by everyone around him that the only point of prom is to get a good picture with a good looking girl, Danny goes in search of a date. Having already rented a room for after prom, he must choose between the hot, blonde cheerleader, or his best friend for eight years.

I went into Bart Got a Room with high expectations. I saw the trailer some time ago and thought it looked like a lot of fun, kind of a mix between American Pie and Juno. Finally I was able to see the movie and I was very disappointed. While the movie’s writers tried to make it quirky, it fails. The jokes fall flat and the quirky “imagination scenes” are annoying and invasive. The most annoying part of the movie is the ending. Of course we all know where this movie is headed as soon as we read the description. The hero is going to realize that he really loves the girl he’s been friends with for so long and they kiss and live happily ever after. This movie however, changes that. While the hero and his friend do end up together, there is no romance or spark or chemistry of any kind between the two. While the two main actors are very endearing, the writing takes no advantage of them. The two barely have any scenes together and the ones that they do have are boring. We want so much to have these two end up together, but there’s no spark, nothing.

There are two redeeming qualities to this movie however. There is one sequence toward the end of the film that had me laughing out loud. The hero has no date and he calls his father to help him find one before he has to get to the prom. The jokes come quick and the action moves fast, it was the funniest scene in the movie. The other good part of the movie was the acting. Alia Shawkat is an excellent actress who I loved in Arrested Development and wish I could see her in more movies. I’m looking forward to seeing her teamed up with the also excellent Ellen Page in the upcoming Whip It. Even better is the performance by William H. Macy. I think he is one of the best underused actors working today. His performance as Danny's father made up the bulk of the funny parts of the movie. I especially enjoyed his simulated sex noises in one scene.

Although there were some good scenes and some excellent actors, the writing of the movie took poor advantage of its resources to make a flat and tired comedy.