I watched this movie because it was recommended to me, with the statement that I would probably "identify with a character played by Zach Galifianakis." In the film, Zach plays a man who suffers from bipolar disorder with schizoid tendencies, coming to grips with his illness and trying to re-integrate himself into society. I think the moment that hit me the hardest was when Zach was prescribed mood stabilizer medication for the first time and it really hit him that, man, I'm going to be on this stuff for the rest of my life. I could totally relate to the crushing feeling that gives a person.
So anyway, Zach plays the aforementioned bipolar and Owen Wilson stars as his best friend, a weatherman for the local news. They are both heavy pot smokers and the movie features loving scenes of them hanging out and smoking it together. Anyway, Zach feels disconnected from society and Owen is struggling with his own problems relating to women and settling down into a committed relationship, not to mention having a hard time keeping a handle on his money. They're both flunky losers, basically.
Suddenly Zach breaks the news that his Dad has died, and he and Owen attend the funeral and the reading of the will, whereupon Zach is bequeathed a lot of money, a country store, and 100 acres of farmland by his old man. His sister (played by Amy Poehler) is outraged at this, considering him incompetent, and desperately wanting to take control of the property and manage it as she sees best. So, she tries to declare him unfit in court, which goes awry, and Zach takes control of the properties. He promptly goes haywire and tries to create an "Omega Society" to teach people to "live in harmony with the land" and "get rid of all the bull#@^!." All this is cut short, however, when he attacks a man in a bar, imagining him to lob harsh insults in his direction about his competence.
In the mean-time, Owen is starting to develop a thing for Zach's dad's widow, a young girl he obviously married for her sexual characteristics, and who spares no insult directed toward Owen for his drunken, pot-smoking lifestyle. At one point Owen offers to "get her on the next flight," and waves a bong at her, to which she responds "No thanks, I try to avoid things that keep me from feeling." Ba-zing! They continue to hit it off however, and there's a lot of sexual tension in the air.
However, Zach gets really upset one night and bemoans his very existence, and his dad's widow feels a connection with him and they sleep together. This does wonders for Zach and starts getting him thinking about how he needs to "get his #%@% together," so he shaves his beard (the first time I've seen Zach without one), regularly takes his medication, and bequeaths the country store to his sister for her to do with as she sees fit. She promptly turns it into a SuperStore called "Amish Farms." Zach bequeaths the farmland to Owen, who quickly finds out about Zach and the widow sleeping together, and threatens to kick them off the land. But, things are soon resolved in a heartwarming conclusion.
Overall the movie is very uneven and hit-or-miss, with a lack of focus or narrative drive, as it kind of meanders from plot point to plot point. In addition, the emphasis on mental illness lacks a lot of the direct "oomph" of something like say, Silver Linings Playbook, perhaps because it deals less genuinely with the subject. However, because of my empathy with Zach's character, I overall enjoyed the film, and must give it three out of five stars.
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