lulupalooza Absolute RUBBISH. This film is meant to be shocking while poking fun at those who seek out the NYC private school system and to offend the intellectuals that operate from within. However, it fails miserably to that end, and the female protagonist ends up as one of them. So it has a confusing message with little creativity to get you there. A boring premise combined with tacky, tasteless humor that is even spoken in the presence of a young child. For those somewhat sensitive, it does flaunt racist comments, adult themes (including prostitutes and simulated intercourse), and vulgar ideas that are completely unbelievable and idiotic - like accusing someone of pedophilia to get a kid into an elite school. Also, no wealthy elite would accept obvious texting/sexting as brilliant poetry to be applauded.It's like some recent film school graduate thought their script idea was utterly brilliant and hilarious beyond measure, when clearly they are simply using their connections in the industry, or disposable wealth, to produce a terrible film with no merit. I love snarky comedies when they are done smartly, but this had us yawning and eye rolling. There are so many great scripts that never get made...and then there's this brain-dead junk. SKIP IT.

ndw5240 I went to this preview because I thought the premise had a lot of promise; my good friends living in New York are living testimonials to the absurdity of getting into preschool. A couple from Delaware move to Manhattan, with the assumption that they will actually get their five year old into a school. Not so fast. To make this happen, a charade is constructed, and soon it takes off on a mind of its own. This movie did a great job,and was hysterical. It had a great pace, and great characters. Many of the concepts (like sexting as high art poetry) were brilliant. I hope this film takes off, because it is an original , and thoroughly enjoyable story.

wiffle2010 I saw this movie at a sneak preview screening in New York in March and I have to say that it's one of the funniest, most original comedies I've seen in a long time. It's not just a stupid-humor movie like the Farrelly Brothers and it's not a fancy highbrow comedy that only certain people will get either.It seems to be about a couple trying to get their daughter into kindergarten, but that's just the setup - their attempts to do so start spinning more and more out of control and it becomes this crazy, fun R-rated farce. The director was at a talkback after the screening and he said he was trying to make a movie in the style of "Tootsie" and "A Fish Called Wanda," and I think he succeeded.Neil Patrick Harris is perfect as the straight man, and Bonnie Somerville is adorable as his wife, but it's the off-the-wall characters around them who really steal the show: Amy Sedaris as the consultant they hire, Jenna Stern as the school's headmistress, Christopher McDonald as a Bill Clinton-type, known only as "The Player," Kate Mulgrew as his wife, John Hodgman as a nerdy and hilarious school board member, and British comedian Peter Serafinowicz as NPH's character's oversexed best friend.There are two particularly hysterical sequences in the movie that I won't spoil, but totally brought the house down at my screening - a book club scene, where all of the above characters have to read some R-rated "poetry" and discuss it like they're in class, and a fundraiser/party scene where NPH's character is put on the spot and has to try to deliver his "poetry" live.Find a way to see this movie. You won't be sorry.

Paul Magne Haakonsen When I saw the cover for this movie I was a bit excited as I saw Neil Patrick Harris was on the cast. So it was with some anticipation that I sat down to watch this movie.And now that I have seen it, I sit with an overwhelming sensation that just screams "was this movie really necessary?" The storyline told in "The Best and the Brightest" is fairly easy, almost too simple actually. A family moves to New York and have to find a kindergarten for their daughter. Then in order to get into this fancy kindergarten, events start to unfold and roll downhill, escalating into something bigger and bigger. The deeper the parents go in, the harder it gets to come clean.The cast list, does hold some rather good names, and some performances were actually alright. However, I was really, really disappointed with Neil Patrick Harris's (playing Jeff) performance in the movie, it was so tame compared to how he was in previous movies and TV series. Peter Serafinowicz (playing Clark) and Jenna Stern (playing Katharine Heilmann) were the ones carrying the weight of the movie and making it bearable to sit through. And the role and performance of Christopher McDonald (playing The Player) was a really good injection of comedy for the movie. He is just superb.Now, as for a comedy, there were surprisingly few places throughout the movie that had me laughing. Sure there were lots of scenes that could have been made to force laughter, but failed to do so. So I wouldn't go out and watch this with the intention to be entertained for the sake of laughs."The Best and the Brightest" is, sadly, one of those movies that comes by, dies off silently in the night, and is quietly forgotten.