Joel (Paul Rudd) and Molly (Amy Poehler) recount to a fellow couple how they and the city of New York (which is like a character in itself, when you think about it) were all caught up in a love affair that sounds like it came straight out of a romantic comedy. Similar to how they thoroughly ripped apart the conventions of 80s camp flicks with WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER, while also alluding to their previous rom-com parody THE BAXTER, creators David Wain and Michael Showalter wanted to mock the shallow foundations of the "chick flick" that we have sadly subjected ourself to again and again by Hollywood. For the most part, THEY CAME TOGETHER is a very humorous spoof, expertly throwing tomatoes at genre favorites like YOU'VE GOT MAIL and ridiculing the standard tropes utilized, such as banal sharing of interests ("You like fiction books?!") and the break-up/make-up plot structure. Wain and Showalter also wanted to throw in, amid all of the weird and great cameos that pop up, their beloved use of black comedy, with the best examples being when Joel visits Molly's parents and his own grandmother. These moments, plus the consistent self-awareness, will drive many viewers absolutely nuts and make them quit the film within the first 15 minutes. While I do agree that the meta didn't always work, I was still laughing all the way through it. Rudd and Poehler are both fantastic, the talented supporting players all deliver, and it's endlessly quotable. Thank you Wain and Showalter, for making me laugh about Hollywood love... again.
FINAL REVIEW: 4 / 5
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