Tom (Zach Braff) is a bright man who just keeps leaving jobs. As he is married to beautiful Sofia (Amanda Peet), a successful lawyer, this has not been a life-changing problem. However, hours before Sofia is set to give birth to their son, Tom promptly loses his latest job as a chef. As Sofia longs to be a stay at home mother, the only choice available now for the young family is a move to Ohio where Tom can take a job offered by Sofia's father. Although Tom has no background in the advertising world, he scores big points when he comes up with an extremely creative pitch for a condiment company. Yeah. But, working alongside Tom is the slimeman of the century, a man named Chip. Not only is wheelchair-bound Chip (Jason Bateman) an ex-boyfriend of Sofia's, he has everyone else fooled into thinking he is a great guy with a hefty talent as an ad man. Tom sees Chip's true self but exposing a handicapped man as a dirtbag is a difficult thing to do. Will Tom alienate everyone if he goes after Chip? This is a lame movie in almost every respect. From the forgettable script to the laissez-faire direction to the so-so production values, The Ex has definite problems. Worse still, the nice cast, which also includes Charles Grodin and Mia Farrow, can not transcend material of this caliber, no matter how hard they try. Braff is a lovable guy, so it really hurts that he and the others have nothing to work with here. Yes, I did crack a smile a few times but I found myself wincing more often than not. As a movie for bedridden flu patients, I suppose this one is okay. But, please do not spend big bucks arranging a viewing. Wait until it hits the cheap theaters, at least, or for the moment that you have a coupon for a free DVD rental. Even then, remember not to expect anything great, as this film is as disposable as they come.
