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jamesgreenlee
Reviews
Better Off Ted: The Impertence of Communicationizing (2010)
Careful, it's a memo, not a shield
This is among the funniest episodes of any series ever aired, and if that sounds like hyperbole, you can go @#$ yourself. I'm kidding, but it is in line with the episode.
The premise of this episode is a typo in a corporate email that tells the staff that they are NOW (rather than NOT) to use insulting and offensive language in the workplace. And since Veridian Dynamics (the quasi-evil corporation where our characters work) claims to never make mistakes, everyone follows along. Except for Lem and Phil who don't read their memos. And when they finally do, it gets even funnier.
The episode itself is side-splittingly funny, but will work better on you if you are familiar with the characters, so if you're a Ted virgin, watch a handful of episodes first. But as funny as this one is? After watching it, *immediately* seek out the outtakes online you will NOT regret it.
Vacation (2015)
A worthy sequel/remake re-quel?
I know that the 2015 Vacation isn't high art, and it's not going to rank in your top 10 comedies. But what it is, is a sequel/remake in a remarkably similar style to the original. The writers and actors really managed to keep the humor as raunchy, off-beat and silly as the original National Lampoon's Vacation.
I enjoy all of the actors already, so that part was easy. I loved the modern equivalent to the Wagon Queen Family Truckster, and I laughed out loud several times. You simply can't take it too seriously or overthink it, but you couldn't in the first movie either. If you're really a fan of the first one (and the third one, does anyone like any of the others?)--I mean, like you've seen it half a dozen times or more since it came out--relax, set your brain for a similar vibe and enjoy.
If you didn't like the original, you're not going to like this one either.