by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
What happens when you learn that everything you know as fact is actually a lie? Stoner Mike Howell is about to find that life is more complicated than he realized. Could he actually be a former government special agent? American Ultra, a new original story from Writer Max Landis (Chronicle), hits theaters this week.
Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network) might not have the perfect life, but he is certainly making the most of what he has. His girlfriend (Kristen Stewart, Twilight series) is amazing and supportive. His job at the Convenience Store pays the bills. Things are good. When a mysterious woman named Lasseter (Connie Britton, American Horror Story) shows up at the store about utters a code phrase, Mike’s life changes in an instant. The C.I.A. (lead by Topher Grace, That 70’s Show) has launched an initiative to “clean house” and remove all loose ends, and that means trouble for former Agents. With past memories and skills slowly coming back to him, Howell must fight against a squad of trained mercenaries and attempt to save the woman he loves. With a little help from his drug dealer (John Leguizamo, Spawn), and Agent Petey Douglas (Tony Hale, Arrested Development), Howell just might make it out of this one alive.
With the influx of reboots, remakes, and rehashing of existing films, American Ultra at the very least succeeds at being something very different. There are a lot of great ideas introduced in the movie, and the humor is spot on. I went into the film with very low expectations, but found that I was laughing my way through the story. Eisenberg and Stewart worked surprisingly well together, and had a solid amount of on-screen chemistry. Topher Grace continues to try and break from the Eric Forman character type, and tries another attempt at being an antagonist (we all know how well Spider-Man 3 went). Grace’s character isn’t meant to be evil, just a desk-jockey who is out to make a name for himself at his job. Hale was a nice surprise in the film, and while he only played a small role, his appearance was definitely enjoyable. Britton does a less than memorable job as Lasseter, attempting to be a badass but never really getting a big moment in the spotlight.
In terms of story, while it is original, it felt overly disjointed. Yes, it was a stoner action comedy, but I felt that there were areas that could have used more focus and attention. Max Landis has done some amazing writing, and his personal flourishes are very apparent in the story, but considering the film only has a run time of 96 minutes, maybe the story could have benefited from a bit more character development instead of rushing to get to the credits sequence.
American Ultra will definitely not be the breakout hit of the summer, but if you are looking for something entertaining to watch this weekend, I would check this one out.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives American Ultra 3 out of 5 surprise cameo appearances.
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