Vengeance
Ben Manalowitz, a journalist and podcaster, travels from New York City to West Texas to investigate the death of a girl he was hooking up with.
- Released:
- Runtime: 120 minutes
- Genre: Comedy, Drama, Thrillers
- Stars: B. J. Novak, Issa Rae, Ashton Kutcher, Boyd Holbrook, Dove Cameron, Isabella Amara, J. Smith-Cameron, Lio Tipton
- Director: B. J. Novak
Comments
- sardakartik - 29 June 2024
Rated 8 just for the dialogues. Why do they always fk up the endings...
Except for the last 10 minutes, where they overdo it (you'll know what I mean), this was a great watch. It is funny at the beginning, builds up the story at a good pace, keeps you engaged, and even has a solid twist that you maybe wouldn't expect (and a decent explanation for the same). It shows Texas and Texans in a very raw fashion, enabling everyone to understand where the characters are coming from. Its dialogues are high quality, which is something one can expect from B J Novak I guess. Its music is well timed, and the acting is very natural. I would have give it 10 stars if not for the ending. It felt rushed, and it seemed like in the aspiration of trying to do something unique and different, the writers ended up doing something cliched. - Pjtaylor-96-138044 - 29 October 2023
Ah, yes, a true crime podcast... truly an apt punishment for murder.
Although it sometimes veers towards pretension and it can feel like a bit like a vanity project for writer/director/star BJ Novak, 'Vengeance (2022)' is an enjoyable and subversive revenge-comedy that starts out more as the latter and eventually transforms into the former. It's definitely a distinct approach to its genre, which it both deconstructs and conforms to/ works within the confines of in equal measure. Focusing on a podcaster who is unwittingly drafted into solving the mystery behind one of his one-or-two-night stands' death after her family contacts him under the impression that he was much more connected with their dearly departed than he dares admit to them. After arriving in Texas, the fish-out-of-water New Yorker sets about recording his new podcast, using the girl's grieving family as quirky characters in his long-form treatise on American isolation in the modern era. As he gets to know these people better, though, he soon finds himself realising that maybe those in front of him are more important than those who may listen to his fairly clever but unbearably self-important sound bites after he releases his creation to the masses. Of course that's an incredibly basic revelation, but his character isn't exactly the nicest or most well-rounded of individuals prior to undergoing his arc and that's kind of the point. It touches upon themes of identity in the digital age, positing that most people want their lives to be remembered rather than experienced, and it often makes some fairly poignant observations (for example, its take on ghosts is particularly touching). It's occasionally hampered by some very on-the-nose writing and it's the kind of movie that tells you what it's about even after it has shown you, but even its clunkiest elements are well-considered and enjoyable. Although it isn't hilarious, the flick is rather funny overall. It pokes fun at its Texan characters and setting, but doesn't seem especially ill-intentioned. I suppose it verges on being condescending and, thus, offensive, but I think its heart is in the right place and the false sense of superiority its protagonist clearly feels isn't something shared by the picture itself. I'm not entirely sure if it does quite enough to totally assuage concerns that it doesn't represent Texas in a flattering light, but its depiction of the state isn't bothersome enough for me to dock it any major points. What also feels slightly unsettling but doesn't quite dampen the quality of the overall affair is the narrative's ultimate advocation of violent justice, as the story essentially posits that sometimes a .45 handgun really is the only way to get things done (which is obviously not the case). Because of the genre that the movie is working with, this doesn't feel like an attempt to draw any significant real-life parallels; instead, it feels like an embracing of the tropes it spends so long purposefully undercutting. It's worth mentioning, but not getting caught up on. Ultimately, this is a well-performed yet sometimes iffy slice of satisfying subversion. It's typically entertaining and often feels genuinely smart, even if it also often feels painfully obvious. It's a really good effort that manages to overcome most of its issues.
