Wanderlust

Wanderlust has quietly become one of the more dependable comedies currently available in Australia on BINGE and Foxtel Now, and in the US on Starz Apple TV Channel. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. A 5/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Paul Rudd leads a cast with real comic timing. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on BINGE.

Wanderlust arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Wanderlust gets the fundamentals right first, then finds room to get weird with it. Rattled by sudden unemployment, a Manhattan couple surveys alternative living options, ultimately deciding to experiment with living on a rural commune where free love rules. Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2012. What keeps Wanderlust from feeling disposable is a cast that clearly understands the material better than the format usually demands. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Wanderlust is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Paul Rudd is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.