There are a lot of references to celebrities in the new Netflix comedy, Me Time… which has two major celebrities in Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Hart in its lead roles. The nods to Hollywood elite let us know that the best buddies bumbling through this Friendship Adventure exist in our world, as pop-culture gags line up with jokes that you or I might make at a celebrity’s expense. But because Wahlberg and Hart know a lot of these people, and often co-star with them, do they ever have to give these people a head’s up when a joke is heading their way?
This was a question I lobbed at Me Time star Mark Wahlberg when he sat down with CinemaBlend for a Netflix press day. The comedy currently is available to stream on Netflix, and in it, Wahlberg’s character references something known as “The Clooney Plan.” This means that a person stays single for as long as possible, then settles down with an ideal partner late in the game. Because Wahlberg and Clooney know each other, I asked if he drops a text or call to his friend to warn him, “Hey, I throw a little dig at you.” And the Uncharted standout told me:
Nope. I want him to see it. I want him to see it and be like, ‘What the heck? Is this an insult? I mean, it didn’t seem like it’s an insult. But is it an insult?’ (laughs) No, we just… I gotta give all the credit to John Hamburg there. A very, very funny line. And you know, it’s a good way to look at things… for a guy who doesn’t want to grow up.
Oh, Mark Wahlberg couldn’t help himself from throwing one last playful jab at his The Perfect Storm co-star. Because yes, for years it did seem like George Clooney was living the ideal bachelor’s life, playing pick-up basketball with his close friends and peddling tequila or Nespresso in between huge movie gigs. Clooney’s love life was so interesting, his ex still gets asked about it. So yes, the “Clooney Plan” might be one that several men follow. It probably just doesn’t work as well for them as it did for George.
Not that Clooney is a selfish guy. He just lives his life his own way. Which is also the point of Me Time, a comedy about a stressed out suburban husband and father (Kevin Hart) who decides he’s going to reconnect with a childhood acquaintance as the latter celebrates his birthday, and hopefully throw some caution to the wind. You know what else gets tossed out? Mark Wahlberg’s clothes. Apparently the butt that you see on screen in Me Time is all his. This hasn’t helped the reviews that the comedy has received. But check it out for yourself by hitting that play button on your Netflix account and giving Me Time a spin. There’s a lot of turtle action. See for yourself.
