Search Party may not be awful of epic proportions but it does come across as bottom of the drawer from writer/director Scot Armstrong, recycling much of his material from Road Trip and The Hangover Part II. Problem is, there’s not many, or at least consistent, laughs and is utterly forgettable.
Search Party
(2016)
Genre(s): Comedy, Adventure
Universal | R – 93 min. – $26.98 | July 5, 2016
Date Published: 07/04/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 2.0/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: When the love of his life (SHANNON WOODWARD) jilts him at the altar thanks to his hard-partying pals Jason (T.J. MILLER) and Evan (ADAM PALLY), Nardo (THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH) follows her down to Mexico where he’s carjacked and left naked in the middle of nowhere. Reluctantly summoning Jason and Evan to help reunite him with his runaway bride-to-be, – who left after Jason embarrassed her at the wedding – Nardo becomes involved in an escalating series of outrageous misadventures courtesy of the guys who created the mess in the first place.
Quick Hit Review: Search Party is the latest movie that was filmed years ago (2013 to be exact) and only now found its home in STV land Stateside (was released in France in ‘14). It doesn’t help that it feels like one that was probably written somewhere around 2010/2011 after the wild success of the The Hangover to the point it has its own version of Alan as portrayed here by T.J. Miller who I find far more tolerable compared to Zach Galifianakis. But Miller probably is the lone highlight in an otherwise humorless movie, though I did at least manage to chuckle a time or two, so it has a big leg up on something like Zoolander No. 2. The supporting cast is pretty impressive from Alison Brie in yet another limited role (akin to Get a Job), Krysten Ritter as a woman who seduces Evan in order to steal his liver; JB Smooth is fun as a big time drug dealer crossing paths with Nardo; and Rosa Salazar (rising star IMO) has a brief appearance credited only as Pocahontas, and former flame to Jason.
Co-Scripted and Directed by Scot Armstrong, marking his directorial debut following a career as a screenwriter on a variety of projects including Road Trip, Old School, Semi-Pro and, surprise surprise, The Hangover Part II, Search Party has many similarities to those films, just without as many laughs. That said, some of the jokes did manage to elicit some minor chuckles but otherwise it’s more forgettable than awful. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 0/5 |
| This release comes with a matted slip cover. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. No features were included. Frankly, I’m surprised there’s even a menu… |
VIDEO – 3.5/5 |
| Search Party finally gets found, in North America at least, on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal, shown in 1080p high-definition and a 2.40 widescreen transfer. For the most part, it’s a fine looking picture as colors are generally bright and detail is at least above average. Although there weren’t any major issues with artifacts, aliasing and other flaws, I did notice the occasional banding but I did find it’s not the most brilliant looking picture and can’t think it’s much of a difference versus its DVD counterpart. Even so, it’s perfectly serviceable but nothing more. |
AUDIO – 3.25/5 |
| The movie comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which, frankly, is pretty average. Dialogue levels sound clear enough throughout but any other elements, such as effects, gunshots, etc, were pretty low key. Of course, being a comedy, even one with a few action sequences, it needn’t be fantastic and at least gets the job done. |
OVERALL – 1.5/5 |
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Overall, Search Party may not be awful of epic proportions but it does come across as bottom of the drawer from writer/director Scot Armstrong, recycling much of his material from Road Trip and The Hangover Part II. Problem is, there’s not many, or at least consistent, laughs and is utterly forgettable. The Blu-ray is basic with no features and only adequate video and audio transfers. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.