Matthew Weiner, the creator of the hit TV show Mad Men, makes his feature film debut directing You Are Here, the story of two man-children learning to live in the moment and take on the responsibilities in their lives. Owen Wilson stars as Steve, the only friend of Zach Galifianakis’ Ben. When Ben learns about his father’s passing, he asks Steve to accompany him to the reading of the will, during which Ben surprisingly inherits his father’s house and business.Further complicating matters are Ben’s sister Terry, played by Amy Poehler, and his young step-mother Angela (Laura Ramsey), who Steve immediately falls for.
Critics have not been kind to You Are Here. Wilson (Wedding Crashers, The Internship) plays much the same role that he has played many times before; a man with no real attachments or relationships getting by on nothing but charm and good looks. The same can be said of Galifianakis (The Hangover) as a failed writer living alone with little human contact besides Steve. Meanwhile, Weiner’s screenplay fails to provide any kind of insight that might make this familiar setup more compelling. Hitfix’s Gregory Ellwood acknowledged that You Are Here has its moments of brilliance but, “when (Weiner) falls flat, he really falls flat.” Variety’s Peter Debruge and The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney were similarly unimpressed. All three reviews note that the film’s score felt especially lacking and wondered if Weiner should have collaborated with a second creative voice instead of his collaborators from Mad Men.
You Are Here will be distributed by Lionsgate International, but no release date has been set.
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