Joel and Molly, over dinner with couple Kyle and Karen, recount their entire relationship. It is a parody of romantic comedies infused with Showalter and Wain's absurd approach.
The film had its world premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival,[3] and was released theatrically (with a simultaneous release on iTunes) on June 27, 2014.[4]
Plot
As Joel and Molly have dinner with unhappy couple Kyle and Karen, they recount how they first began dating in NYC. At the time, Molly owned a small independent candy store, Upper Sweet Side, that was being pushed out-of-business by Joel's company, a larger candy corporation called CSR.
Joel lived with his girlfriend, Tiffany, until he caught her cheating on him with his coworker Trevor. Ironically, he found them when he had gone home to propose, with roses and an engagement ring in hand. Trevor is also a rival at work, stealing an account from him and vying for the same promotion.
On their way to the same Halloween party, Joel and Molly bump into each other. They were both invited by their respective best friends to set them up and ironically come dressed in identical costumes. Although they initially fight, they come across each other in a second-hand book store and end up going on a date.
Joel and Molly bond after hours in a coffee shop, bonding over many things they have in common. She invites him home for dinner, where Joel meets Molly's son Tucker from a previous relationship. Later, on the front steps, he admits that he is not over Tiffany, and Molly goes in angrily.
Joel goes to the sweet shop to apologize, but both take so long getting ready, him rehearsing out front and Molly going through a montage of trying on outfits, that they miss each other. He eventually says sorry over the phone, and they begin dating. Following a video montage of the couple laughing and enjoying themselves in piles of leaves, the greengrocer's etc, they do a road trip so Joel can meet her parents.
Driving to the countryside to meet Molly's parents, Joel discovers they are white supremacists. He and Molly argue and break up. Joel begins seeing Tiffany again, as Trevor dumped her and goes back to his life before Molly. She begins dating her banker, Eggbert, although they clearly have little in common.
As Molly and Joel share friends, they coincide at the usual autumn festivities. Molly and Eggbert become engaged at New Year's. Joel realizes that he is still in love with her, so breaks up with Tiffany, who reveals she is actually Judge Judy. Months later, just after he prevents CSR from destroying Upper Sweet Side, he races to the wedding. Joel arrives to find that she has already left Eggbert at the altar, so he goes to the Brooklyn Promenade to find her. All of the wedding guests follow Joel there.
After Joel makes a speech declaring his love, after several interruptions, they agree to get back together. Molly's ex-husband Spike, who was just released from jail, confronts Joel. They have a fight, which Joel wins, and Spike is again apprehended by the police (only to suddenly be executed on site). Joel and Molly get married one year later, and Joel unveils a folding coffee table now placed outside Upper Sweet Side, which he calls Cup of Joel.
In the present, Joel and Molly reveal that they are getting divorced, as their marriage has since fallen apart due to their failed business venture and increasing debts. Because of it Molly got addicted to pills and started sleeping with an old boyfriend (Frank) again. So, Molly and Joel mutually decided they should be friends. After they finish telling their story to Kyle and Karen, both couples wonder and then agree to give their marriages another shot.
The film was written by David Wain and Michael Showalter.[2] Rudd and Poehler participated in a table read of the script at the SF Sketchfest in January 2012.[2]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 70% based on 97 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critics consensus states: "They Came Together is surprisingly messy and perhaps too smart for its own good, but Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd's chemistry is enough to overcome many of the movie's flaws."[12] On Metacritic, it was assigned a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[13]
