I do not find Steve Carell particularly funny and I couldn’t really empathize with him in this role as the ditched Dad. What made this film fun was the variety of “doomed” relationships, from the schoolboy crush and the office romance to the singles dating scene and stale marriages. Somehow, the directors manage to guide them all to one big backyard brawl, the best scene of the film and well worth waiting for. Kevin Bacon plays an introverted accountant and Marisa Tomei gets her acting stretched as a sexually repressed school teacher along the way, too. Lots to like other than Carell.

This was great—the perfect mix between “real life” and the ironic things that happen that make life funny, and bearable. The story was good, the acting was great … highly recommended!