In Scott Abramovitch’s directorial debut, Sid Straw is a mild-mannered, mid-level sales executive who is just a little bit out of touch and just a little bit annoying. According to his brother, Sid tries too hard, yet he isn’t the usual protagonist of cringe comedies in that he’s not particularly obnoxious. Tony Hale, who plays Straw, dampens down his usual persona to give us someone a little more recognizably earnest and well-meaning than Buster in Arrested Development or Gary in Veep. In this, he acquits himself nicely. In fact, the film is packed with an array of low-key performances, particularly Danielle Brooks (Orange Is the New Black) as the waitress at Sid’s local burger joint and David Walton as his empathetic younger brother.

The problem with the movie is, it’s just as mild-mannered as Sid, but it doesn’t try as hard to please as he does. It’s essentially a tepid comedy trying to put across a serious theme of how social media can affect people’s lives, but it never goes far enough. It goes down like tapioca pudding: smooth and comforting, but ultimately forgettable.

The plot revolves around Sid being named co-chair of the Western states for his college’s reunion. To do this, he has to sign onto social media, which apparently (and somewhat unbelievably) he seems to know nothing about. So, he logs on to Facebook and creates a profile and gets hooked. There he finds film star Elizabeth Bank. Turns out he went to college with her and they were in the same improv group, so he friends her and starts chatting away about the reunion, hoping she can attend. (“Eat Wheaties,” was her sign off and catchphrase.)

Eventually, he starts informing her of the happenings in his life, like the girlfriend who really turned out to be “just a friend” and issues he’s having at work. But he doesn’t realize he’s not messaging her: he’s posting on her fan page feed, which, of course, everyone can read, which, of course, goes viral, which, of course, creates issues. If anything, this film is a cautionary tale on how to use Facebook properly.

There are some solid laughs, and Hale is a sweet, genial presence in a sweet, genial film. However, its message doesn’t have much bite, and the plot is entirely predictable. There is a weird courtroom scene where the protagonists pontificate while the lawyers stay silent. Even a casual observer of courtroom dramas or life in general knows that in a courtroom lawyers, well, they lawyer.

The movie also suffers the lack of formal innovation that many comedies have had for the past 20 years. The cinematography, editing, and production design are functional and nothing more. Though amicable enough, Eat Wheaties! is, in the long run, too straightforward.