As a rule of thumb, I do not go out in NYC on the weekends, especially not to the movies. However, I was willing to elbow my way through the crowds at Regal Cinema Union Square this Friday night to view the New York City Premiere of Splinterheads.

Motivators:a stellar cast including; Lea Thompson, Christopher McDonald, my fave bad boy Dean Winters, Rachel Taylor, and the much buzzed about newcomer- Thomas Middleditch, a frosty Diet Coke, and an after-party at Carnival at Bowlmor Lanes.

The flick deets: Splinterheads introduces Thomas Middleditch as Justin Frost, a twenty-something slacker who has decided that his “thing” is that he has no “thing” at all. When a small-time carnival rolls into town, he meets Galaxy (Rachael Taylor), a gorgeous con artist who has more “things” going for her than anyone he has ever met. Galaxy takes Justin on a geocaching adventure, a GPS based activity that is part hike and part treasure hunt, and he quickly falls for her. Complicating matters are his mom’s (Lea Thompson) floundering relationship with a lovesick local cop (Christopher McDonald) and Galaxy’s insanely jealous boyfriend Reggie (Dean Winters). In order to win her over he’s going to need to step up his game, and maybe even figure out what his “thing” really is.

Move over Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Seth Rogan. There are some new boys in town that are smashing your schtick. Well, you guys rock as well, but Middleditch, Jason Rogel- who plays Middleditch's best friend, "Wayne Chung", and director/writer Brant Sersen, have brought quirky "man-child" comedies to a whole new level.

The Sersen formula: Take your "sympathetic characters who are sort of out-of-sync with the world", and place them in an unusual subculture. Sersen explains, "A world that coexists within a dominant one will have its own beliefs, rules, and laws. From a comedic viewpoint, the possibilities are limitless because you’re in such uncharted territory. Anything can happen, and anything goes."

That makes sense, especially coming from a man who's first feature, Blackballed, takes place amidst the subculture of paintballing.

Splinterheads, produced by Atlantic Pictures, definitely delivers laughter with up to snuff performances by Thomson, Winters, and McDonald, scene stealers from Lennon Parham, Jason Mantzoukas, Rogel, Pamela Shaw, and Edmund Lyndeck (the 116 year old great grandpa), and a breakout performance by Middleditch, who Sersen discovered at NYC's Upright Citizens Brigade (which is "home to all things comedy in New York City and Los Angeles").

Click HERE for showtimes

*Stills courtesy of Atlantic Pictures

*image 1: Thomas Middleditch as Justin Frost

*image 2: Christopher McDonald as Sgt. Bruce Mancuso

*image 3: Rachel Taylor as Galaxy and Dean Winters as Reggie

*image 4: Jason Mantzoukas as The Amazing Steve and Lennon Parham as Wyoming