I have to say, there is something about the traditional romantic comedy formula that can work on occasion, but more often than not, it does not. There are very few genres of films as utterly and boringly predictable as the romantic comedy because it seems like they are all operating from a set of the same limited constraints, and the results are essentially just dull, but they do serve their purpose as being mindlessly fun entertainment much of the time. They’re inoffensive and comforting more than anything else – which is precisely why They Came Together is one of the most bizarre and offbeat comedy films released over the past few years, as it relentlessly parodies the genre and in the process, manages to be a subversive comedic gem that may not be particularly good, but it is dedicated to its audacious premise, even if it does tend to go a little too far sometimes in committing to its message.

Molly (Amy Poehler) is a recently-heartbroken entrepreneur who owns an artisan candy store in Brooklyn. Joel (Paul Rudd) is an executive at a corporate candy conglomerate who is threatening to drive Molly’s quaint store out of business. After they encounter each other at a party, they start falling in love and put aside the tension in the pursuit of a life together. As with all romantic comedies, there are obstacles that put the relationship in dire straits, and they are driven apart by the forces that try and keep them from building their romance. However, love prevails in the end (as it always does – why can’t we get a romantic comedy that just ends on a purely depressing and dour note? It would be bad cinema, but it would be so much better than what we normally get, and such a risk could even pay off tremendously, but I digress). If this premise sounds trite and cliche, its because it absolutely is – They Came Together takes every conceivable romantic comedy trope and throws it in, making this film more of an experiment rather than a fully-developed project. However, that isn’t to say They Came Together isn’t entertaining, rather the contrary.

Saturday Night Live very often makes fake trailers that parody a certain genre or cinematic convention, and they are usually incredibly funny. They Came Together is what would happen if one of those sketches were an actual feature-length film. This is both They Came Together‘s biggest strength and weakness – because while it approaches the subject matter with the same kind of audacious absurdity and hilarious commitment to satirizing the genre and conventions of the romantic comedy, it also makes one realize why those trailers remain trailers – the idea just works so much better in three-minute segments rather than over a feature-length running time. They Came Together is a very funny film, but it is one that loses its novelty after only a few minutes, and as much as I did find this film entertaining, my laughter become steadily less common as the film went on, and while it did attempt to keep rejuvenating itself with some new ideas and concepts throughout, it just became a slight bore towards the end, and the success of They Came Together is really just the concept, and once the audience understands what the intention behind this film was, the originality of this film just wore very thin. Essentially, They Came Together feels like something that was far more successful in concept than in execution, and despite it being a very fun film, it isn’t particularly great either, mainly because it latches itself onto a specific premise, and while its commitment to that premise is remarkable, it loses its stark impact after the first act.

However, having said that, They Came Together is not an entirely bad film, and it survives on its cast more than anything else. David Wain and Michael Showalter may not be particularly recognizable names to audiences that aren’t the most die-hard contemporary comedy fans, but as writers and directors, they have shown an innate ability to attract some high-profile comedic talent to their films and television projects, and They Came Together is not an exception. I was surprised at how many notable comedians and comedic performers were in this film, most of them in very small roles that required only one or two scenes at most. The film is lead by Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler, both of which are royalty when it comes to comedy, and their chemistry is undeniable. If anything, They Came Together is worth it for the plethora of talent that were involved in this film (including one of the most hilarious and surprising cameos possible that occurs towards the end of the film – I won’t spoil it, because it is such a hilariously weird addition to an already bizarre film).

There is something that They Came Together does extremely well – its weird. Unbelievably weird. It borders on being surreal in how odd its approach to the story is, and while parodies are a popular (albeit normally reviled due to the low-quality nature of recent parodies) they are very rarely as committed to subverting clichés as They Came Together did, and are usually very self-aware and filled with meta-commentary that very rarely actually works in the way that it should work. In a way, this film felt very much like a film inspired by Mel Brooks’ iconic sense of parody, in the sense that it was completely and utterly oblivious to its own nature, or at least it was effective in conveying such a sense. They Came Together is a ridiculously stupid film, but in a way that is endlessly entertaining and flawlessly wonderful in how it subverts expectations and relentlessly exploits its premise to the point where it may become a bit tired after a while, but still manages to be hilarious for what its worth, even if it does lack enough gravitas to propel it further than the concept could’ve possibly gone.

They Came Together is not a major film, and it isn’t a career highlight for anyone involved. It is a mindlessly fun film, and there isn’t a great deal that one can say about it. It is an audacious experiment and it does work out to an extent. I personally am not sure what needed to be done to improve the film and allow it to reach its full potential, but it is an otherwise endearing and very funny film, with a great cast and a wonderful ability to seize the concept of the romantic comedy and exploit it to the point where the pure commitment itself is worth watching. It may not be a particularly great film, but it is certainly an entertaining one, and a pleasant diversion and a great parody of a film genre that isn’t particularly known for diverse and original stories. In that regard, They Came Together is an enjoyable, if not slightly contrived and a little forgettable, experience that has the right ideas, it just doesn’t know how to execute it properly, but not for a lack of trying. In the end, it is a film that works on its ludicrous premise and aims to be aimed at fans of outrageous and surreal comedy – and it understands how intelligent the concept is, it just doesn’t know exactly what to do with it, which is a bit disappointing, because it had a lot of potential, and resulted in a film that was outrageously funny, but just too scattered and sorely needed a bit more focus.