Are You Here redefines modern day bromance

After achieving sweeping success with the hit television show Mad Men, director and writer Matthew Weiner makes his feature film debut with Are You Here starring Owen Wilson,  Zach Galifianakis and Amy Poehler. The drama/comedy serves as Weiner’s contribution to the modern man-child genre. Are You Here delves into the darker side of the charmingly idiotic male protagonists we’ve come to know and love in films like Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Hangover however, Weiner focuses on their self-destructive behaviors and shows how the man-child is capable of growing up.

Owen Wilson plays Steve Dallas, a local weatherman who, though charming and affable, has fallen into a routine of womanizing, drinking and drug use that serves to push away any meaningful connections he has with the people in his life. His only friend is the eccentric and bipolar Ben Baker (Galifianakis) who spends his days in a trailer park collecting conspiracy theories. While seemingly unstable, Ben and Steve share in a comfortable, albeit unconventional bromance.

When Ben’s father dies, Ben enlists Steve to join him on a road trip to his hometown deep in Pennsylvania’s Amish country where his father’s estate is to be divided. Ben and his overbearing sister Terri (Poehler) are surprised to find that Ben is left with 100 acres of land and a small fortune that he is less than equipped to handle. Steve sticks around in hopes of acquiring some of his friend’s new property and moving in on Ben’s newly widowed 25-year-old stepmother Angelina, played by the stunning Laura Ramsey.

Weiner has been working on Are You Here since before Mad Men premiered in 2007. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Weiner remarked that the major theme of the film is that “Owen’s character has to get off drugs, and Zach’s character has to get on them.” Weiner’s impetus for writing began during a time in his life where he realized that he had very few male friends in his adult life and wanted to explore the meaning of friendship in a contemporary and realistic way.

Weiner told Vanity Fair regarding his inspiration that, “friendship is a lot rarer than love because there’s nothing in it for anybody.” This theme echoes throughout the story in every relationship and is the essence of Steve Dallas.

The dramatic nature of the film provides an interesting vehicle for its comedic actors to prove they are capable of distancing themselves from their comedic backgrounds. Most notably, Amy Poehler’s performance is a huge leap from her role as the quirky and charismatic Leslie Knope on NBC’s Parks and Recreation. Poehler gives a multifaceted portrayal of Terri Baker, an aggressive and bitter woman who spends much of the film struggling to understand her father’s decision to leave almost everything to her mentally unfit brother.

Galifianakis also shows a surprising amount of dramatic range as the neurotic Ben Baker.

Owen Wilson shines as the jaded protagonist, Steve. Weiner wanted to cast Wilson in the role since writing the script 10 years ago. Weiner told Vanity Fair he was drawn to Wilson’s ease and “unexpected wit.” Wilson’s charismatic portrayal of his character anchors the film and keeps the story centered on friendship and adulthood when it begins to veer into heightened complications and moments of confusion later on in the story. Wilson’s ability to swing from a one-note pothead womanizer to a vulnerable and complex character is seamless, with the perfect balance of humor and tragedy.

The decisions Weiner makes throughout the film add to an almost sugar-coated finish. In addition, the score and visual aesthetics evoke a country fable feeling and created a jarring contrast between an idealized setting and a harshly real plot. It feels as if the film is a Hollywood retelling of someone’s life where the people and places are just slightly too beautiful and the events are exaggerated to make a point.

Though sometimes confusing and overly poetic, Are You Here delivers in heart and authenticity of characters. The true highlights are the complex and emotional performances by Poehler, Galifianakis and Wilson that showcase the actors’ abilities to transcend their genres and move into more serious drama. Weiner succeeds in testing our expectations about the modern bromance and taps into the meaning of friendship even in ugly circumstances. Are You Here opens in theaters on Aug. 22.