Capsule review of new movie release

"Wanderlust" — This would provide an intriguing double feature with "Martha Marcy May Marlene." Both are about people who search for their true selves in woodsy communes, get sucked into the brainwashing and insularity by a charismatic leader and eventually struggle to escape. One of these films contains poop jokes. Guess which one it is. Yes, "Wanderlust" proudly wears its sketch-comedy origins on its sleeve, and that means the gags are as hit-and-miss as you'd imagine. David Wain ("Role Models") directs from a script he co-wrote with longtime friend and collaborator Ken Marino, but it's clear that a lot of improv took place, as well. That's the bread and butter for these guys and their cast members, with whom they've worked in the past on TV ("The State," ''Children's Hospital") and in movies ("Wet Hot American Summer," ''The Ten"). Some jokes get hammered into the ground; others go well past the point of cringe-inducing awkwardness, which is the point. But some do reach the levels of brilliant, unfettered lunacy to which they aspire. Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston star as married Manhattanites who find themselves at a hippie enclave known as Elysium. Justin Theroux, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Malin Akerman and Alan Alda are among its drugged-up denizens. R for sexual content, graphic nudity, language and drug use. 98 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic