Just saw this movie and here's why it failed...

Wife and I rented this last night - the setting was perfect, the food and our moods were perfect (i say this so no external factors like marital tension and stomach aches, or annoying distractions skewed the moment)

I've always said when an ensemble cast of A and B list actors are flooded in a film, that the film better have substance and great writing, and work for each sub-story, or the movie will fail based on the audience expectations of seeing a "Chris Rock movie" or a "Martin Lawrence movie" or whyever people decide to see it.

This movie had a lot of known actors sign onto this remake (from a 3 year old original???) and unfortunately the characters failed to make me believe I was tuned into a real story. If this is a comedy, then the jokes need to be fresh (most weren't) and often (which weren't). If this was supposed to be a dramedy, then the sadness and emotion needed to be better established, with comedy added in amongst the emotional connections (it wasn't).

Why was chubby faced Luke Wilson even in this movie? - he didn't have much to his character. Anyone could've done it. Same with numerous stars in it.

I felt like I was watching a british farce, acted by a majority black cast of comedians who don't understand how farce works. Do we even want to see Americans doing Noises Off-style farce?

BTW - I'm not the type of reviewer who says LOVED IT or IT SUCKED. I understand there's parts to a movie that work, and jokes that do win in comedies. Sadly, this film is not the type to see more than once, or even to learn from or quote from.