Bromance Comedy ‘Random Tropical Paradise’ Is Dead on Arrival

Elizabeth Stanton

A bro-mantic comedy on an indie budget, “Random Tropical Paradise” aspires to the heights of “Old School,” “21 Jump Street,” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” What’s lacking here is much of those other films’ energy and charisma, feeling like a faded and dated copy of other, more invigorating comedies.

After discovering his bride having an affair minutes before the wedding, the groom, Harry (Bryan Greenberg), is lost and dejected about what would have been a perfect life. His best friend Bowie (Brooks Wheelan) urges him to go on the honeymoon trip to paradise anyway, tagging along with him for the ultimate “homie-moon.” The boys arrive in Florida, where they get to partying to cheer Harry up—finding drugs, booze, and some friendly women along the way. One of those women, Collette (Spencer Grammer), takes a shine to Harry, and they strike up a flirtation that could bring him out of his funk. Before romance can fully blossom, though, Harry and Bowie get mixed up in some criminal shenanigans with one girl’s mafioso husband (Joe Pantoliano). Pushing their friendship to the test, Harry and Bowie try to outwit the bad guys, get with the ladies, and secure an epic adventure in paradise.

Despite best efforts, ‘Random Tropical Paradise’ ultimately falls short on these goals. Wheelan’s Bowie is meant to be the live-wire, carefree friend, the Vince Vaughn to Harry’s more subdued Owen or Luke Wilson, but he never rises to the levels of manic energy that made those pairings work. Harry and Bowie’s friendship is standard-issue, down to the third act break-up-and-make-up in a time of crisis, and a dated series of jokes revolving around people assuming they’re gay (seriously, it’s 2017; gay panic jokes need to go the way of the dinosaur).

As is usual in bro-mantic fare, the ladies are thinly-sketched, but to the movie’s credit, at least given distinct personalities. Grammer is a dream girl with an actual dream of her own, even as she imparts a lesson on living to Harry. The most amusing performances probably belong to Pantoliano, as the drug-dealing crime lord with a low- key attitude, and Kyle Kinane and Beth Littleford as a couple of laid-back, middle-aged stoners who take a shine to Bowie. Their skills with timing and delivery stand out against the more muted Wheelan and Greenberg, who never transcend their lack of chemistry.

‘Paradise’ also struggles with pacing. It spends too long on scenes that are meant to come off as improvised riffs in the way of Judd Apatow but are stilted at best. An extended bit on the wonders of Danny Trejo is just interminable, and a lengthy party scene where the guys trip on hard drugs drags any budding momentum to a halt. The reveal that it’s actually an orgy is meant to be an over-the-top shocker but offers no amusement due to the protracted build-up (not the lack of action—the movie shuns nudity and violence, but does engage in the kind of cursing expected in an R-rated comedy).

Overall, ‘Paradise’ takes a standard buddy movie premise and fails to do anything unique with it. The lack of budget would be less obvious if the storytelling were tighter, and the leads more engaging and believable as friends.

“Random Tropical Paradise” is in theaters and on VOD June 9.