This film was one of the options on an airline flight I took last week. I wasn't expecting much, but the airline's other choices were not appealing either, so I gave "Drunken Parents" a try.

Parts of this film turned out to be very funny. I was laughing out loud quite a lot. The plot was stupid, but the actors made the most of things, often successfully. I am very glad I didn't look at the IMDB rating first (currently 3.7),or I would never have given this film a chance.

Frank (Alec Baldwin) and Nancy Teagarten (Salma Hayek) drop off their daughter Rachel to start college. They return to their upper class home where a repo man has come for their car. The two drunks have been having money troubles. Frank lists their neighbor's house on Craigslist and Carl Mancini (Jim Gaffigan) answers the profane ad. Carl rents the house but he turns out to be a registered sex offender.

The plot is a mess of random chaos. Baldwin and Hayek are trying their best at comedy. I like the grocery store. Some of this is almost comedic. Some of this is almost understandable. The problem is that non of this is compelling. The characters aren't appealing. It's mostly unfunny. I like the setup but it crumbles almost as soon as it starts.

When Rachel (Michelle Veintimilla) goes off to college, parents Frank (Alec Baldwin ) and Nancy (Salma Hayek) lives go off the rails. They are in deep financial trouble and live in an upper-class neighborhood. They drink and accidentally rent out their neighbor's home while he is away...twice and one is a registered pedophile.

Yes, the parents drink, but the film was not about "Drunk Parents." That was a lame unimaginative title. Salma Hayek played a great potty-mouthed drunk and I wish they had scripted more of it. The tangents the film goes on didn't work. They tried to do too much in a short period of time, never establishing character. Jim Gaffigan was good as the perv. They could have done better than Alec Baldwin.

Will Ferrell catches fire and the mess up and put it out rather than let him burn to a crip. Yes, I loathe Will Ferrell. Fred Wolf has been on a decline since Grown-Ups 2.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.