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Let 'They Came Together' be your VOD primer

| July 4, 2014 9:00 PM

Although Hastings and Video Theater don't want you to know about it, you can rent just about every movie on home video digitally via iTunes, Google Play and other Video on Demand (VOD) services.

You probably already knew this, and it's totally OK if you still prefer a DVD or Blu-Ray. As a quasi-hoarder, I understand the appeal of physical STUFF in this world of instant streaming and virtual clouds.

Fewer realize, however, that many independent films currently playing in big city movie theaters are also available on VOD - movies that hardly ever make it to our local theaters, give-or-take a brief run in Spokane at AMC or the Magic Lantern.

I rarely partake in VOD movies because they tend to be the kind of movies that eventually wind up on Netflix Instant in a few months. These are small-budget movies looking for as wide a viewership as possible, and that means they often forgo expensive theatrical runs in favor of streaming contracts.

However, in the midst of another loud, sequel-heavy lineup in theaters this summer, these smaller VOD titles can start to sound more and more appealing, especially if your home has air conditioning.

Take "They Came Together," a comedy starring Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler from "Wet Hot American Summer" creator David Wain. It's a spoof on Hollywood romantic comedies, with the Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan opus "You've Got Mail" being the most obvious piece of inspiration.

I know the word "spoof" can sound scary these days, with the likes of "Epic Movie," "Date Movie," and all those "Scary Movie" sequels laying waste to a genre that probably topped out at "Airplane!" and "Blazing Saddles."

"They Came Together" is (thankfully) much funnier than most other modern spoof films, thanks mostly to the commitment of its cast. Rudd has played romantic lead in quite a few "real" romantic-comedies, so his aping of the cliche material appears to come from a place of equal parts admiration and spite.

As anyone who watches "Parks and Recreation" knows, Poehler is a comedy giant, and, odd as it might sound, the chemistry between her and Rudd feels more genuine than characters in movies that take this lovey-dovey, meet-cute garbage seriously.

Sure, there are scenes that play like stilted "Saturday Night Live" sketches, but a talent pool of Bill Hader, Ed Helms, Ellie Kemper and Christopher "Forget About 'Law & Order'" Meloni help to keep the movie from stumbling into cheap late-night territory.

The movie is the closest Wain and his sketch comedy friends from MTV's "The State" have come to the vibe of their breakout comedy, "Wet Hot American Summer" from 2001 (Wain has made more mainstream comedies in recent years with Rudd, including "Role Models" and "Wanderlust"). "They Came Together" is goofy and unruly, but still a more mainstream first dive into the content available on VOD.

VOD content is available through numerous outlets, including iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, XBOX, Playstation and oh so much more.

A couple other notable VOD releases this month:

"Life Itself" (available today)

The acclaimed documentary about the life of film critic Roger Ebert explores his illustrious print and television career as well as his illness-plagued final months.

"The Congress" (available July 15)

Robin Wright ("House of Cards") plays an aging actress named Robin Wright who sells her voice and likeness to a visual effects house. It's a trippy mix of live-action and animation from Ari Folman, director of the Oscar-nominated "Waltz with Bashir."

Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com