'Eat Wheaties!' is a satirical take on social media, fandom and to a lesser extent an obsessive fixation on proving ones point. The film revolves around Sid, an unassuming middle-management worker that is suddenly tasked with helping arrange a college reunion. Part of the organising involves getting in touch and inviting other alumni to the event. As Sid discovers his past acquaintance to be famous actress Elizabeth Banks, he inadvertently starts to stalk her on social media and we get to follow how his life subsequently unravels.
Sid Straw is shown as a mild-mannered and somewhat awkward man. We are introduced to him at his office, where he tries his best to establish a good rapport with his co-workers. Sid's somewhat uncomfortable energy does not work in his favour. Sid is also shown to go on a date with Kathy, and they seem to have a good time together. Later on Sid also invited her to his brother Tom's birthday, where he is met with a slightly hostile attitude from Tom's wife, due to a mishap that Sid caused at their wedding. In the meantime, Sid regularly writes what he believes to be private correspondence to Elizabeth through a social media platform, unknowingly posting his letters on a public forum fan page.
As the story progresses, every time Sid makes the claim of having been acquainted with Elizabeth, he is met with resistance and disbelief, building towards tension and evoking an increasingly erratic response from Sid. After some time, as Sid's employer discovers that he has been spending a lot of time on social media during his working hours, he is put on administrative leave, and subsequently, when his posts go viral, he is let go from his job. Following that, unable to afford his apartment, Sid moves back in with his parents and finds it difficult to secure employment, due to his recent activities being discovered and being dragged down by a temporary restraining order issued by Elizabeth's agent. Having no girlfriend, job or a place to call his own Sid hits rock bottom.
After a frank discussion with his brother, he realises that he needs to turn things around and start sorting out his life. After writing a final message to Elizabeth, Sid befriends James Fisk, an aspiring lawyer, who together study for and help Fisk pass his bar exam. By attending the trial, Sid opposes the restraining order and the case is dismissed, as Sid is now well on his way to carrying on with his life, and had only accidentally appeared to be stalking the actress. Subsequently Sid is shown to have turned things around, being a member of a local softball team, publishing a children's book and moving into his own place. The film concludes by Sid becoming godfather to his brothers daughter and sorting out his love life by asking out Wendy, a friendly waitress at his local restaurant. Finally, voice-over rolls over the credits as Elizabeth leaves Sid a voicemail confirming that she does remember him and would like to catch up.
'Eat Wheaties!' is a charming comedy that explores the misadventures of a well intentioned man. Sid comes off as a good-hearted fellow, yet his approach towards others can seem a bit forced. Midway through the film, as he is having a frank conversation with his brother Tom, Sid's problem is clearly underlined - he tries too hard. Leading up to that point there are numerous instances where it can be seen, as he can be perceived to be a bit over the top when interacting with Kate on their first date, when giving a speech at this brothers birthday or when trying to convince a co-worker about having known Elizabeth.
Conclusively the film does show how Sid turns his life around, yet there is a certain lack of impact to that. Even although we've witnessed Sid fall and hit rock bottom, professionally, personally and romantically, the sense of achievement seems lacking. Perhaps it is due to Sid's demeanour throughout the film - he mostly has a positive outlook, tries to be friendly with everyone and does not go out of his way to do any harm. Even though Sid does become reliant on his one-sided correspondence with Elizabeth, there never seems to be too much harm in it as he is not harassing anyone, rather just using the social media platform as an outlet for his innermost thoughts and frustrations, akin to a private journal.
Sid goes full circle - initially he seems to be well settled, has a good job, lives by himself and is outgoing. However, once he sets his sights on proving that he knows Elizabeth, things take a turn for the worst. Ultimately, Sid bounces back, regaining his confidence and is able to start anew. 'Eat Wheaties!' functions well as an illustration of an unhealthy fixation that ultimately leads to uncovering other issues Sid may be bottling up, however, the film does not do enough in the first act to establish that Sid may be harbouring something deeper or darker. The character does go though ups and downs, yet the prompt for him to do so results from an unrealised or not fully explored foundation, leading to the conclusion to be somewhat unsatisfactory.
Tony Hale portrays Sid and delivers a fun, somewhat awkward, yet hilarious character that we get to witness go though a tumultuous time in his life. Hale is well known for being able to embody a very specific kind of snappy and awkwardly funny character, and does well in showcasing that strength here. Even although the film may feel somewhat pedestrian, it is always a joy when Hale is on screen, enacting Sid's antics. Additionally, the film has an amazing supporting cast, including Elisha Cuthbert, Danielle Brooks, David Walton, Sarah Burns, Alan Tudyk, Sarah Chalke and Paul Walter Hauser, yet the film somehow does not reach its full potential, somehow fumbling to make good use of the talented actors that are known to be able to deliver outstanding comedic performances.
In all, 'Eat Wheaties!' is a funny flick that can be enjoyed on a quiet night in. It does not pose as a life changing or an outlandishly wild experience, delivering a fairly predictable conclusion to Sid's story, yet it is worth checking out if only for Tony Hale's performance. As always, the actor does his best and manages to deliver hilarious scenes in a film that may at times seem to be lacking in direction or seem sluggish.
Score: 2/4
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