Review by Nicholas Porteous for Mr. Will Wong
‘You’re a guy who already has everything. Why do you need a Podcast?’, asks one of the Supporting Characters in B.J. Novak’s directorial debut Vengeance, which he also writes and stars in. Instantly, this Movie needs to dig itself out of a hole. Our Protagonist has everything. He’s just trying to get one more thing. The stakes could not be lower. And the new thing he’s trying to get? It’s a Podcast. Remember when I said the stakes could not be lower? I was wrong. And since it’s about the making of a Podcast, this Movie is going to have to try extra hard to be cinematic. How is B.J. going to get out of this one?? I’m sorry to say he doesn’t.
But let’s get into it. Novak‘s Character is interested in somehow bridging the sociopolitical gaps in a divided America (‘instead of making jokes about it’) and conveniently finds the perfect opportunity for his Podcast when he’s invited to Texas for the funeral of a former hookup–one of MANY, as the Movie establishes Novak‘s major flaw is that he sleeps with too many women, and doesn’t take any of them very seriously. I don’t believe Novak considers this to be a serious character flaw, and he doesn’t explore it much on-screen. His dramatic arc is pretty static. Speaking of static–he stays with a family of Texans who are written and acted like clowns. But as you’ve probably guessed, he comes to learn they’re not JUST clowns. They are deeper than he assumed. They’ve read Chekhov. Even though they cannot think of a Chekhov play with a gun in it.
Maybe I’m giving you the wrong impression here. I really like B.J. Novak. His book of Short Stories “One More Thing” is gut-bustingly hilarious. I just don’t understand why he thought this extremely earnest idea for a movie about Podcasting was the right fit for him on any level. As a Writer, he excels at the absurd or at LEAST the wacky. As an Actor, he exudes deadpan and detachment– which is perfect for The Office, but not so much for scenes where he has to be vulnerable or care about what’s happening. Cracking a smile feels like many backflips of psychic effort for him, and he needs to do it constantly here.
So back to Vengeance. Ashton Kutcher enters–in a sizable role–to tell exactly zero jokes, never raising his voice above a few decibels. If you loved his rendition of Steve Jobs–run, don’t walk! We’re led to believe the Podcast is going very well, and it’s going to be a huge hit. However, there are still a few bumps in the road. I want to address the ending without spoiling anything. Thematically, it undermines the rest of the Movie into oblivion. Tonally, it feels completely out of left field in a bad way. Story wise, it makes absolutely no sense.
It pains me to tell you that if you like B.J. Novak, you probably won’t like this Movie. The best I can do to recommend it is this: If you’re actively rooting against B.J. Novak, you might get some subversive joy out of watching this misstep. Otherwise, steer clear. Still rooting for B.J.!
Focus Features and Universal Pictures Canada release VENGEANCE Friday, July 29, 2022.
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