Stay safe. Watch the movie.
If you work in media, you likely know someone like B.J. Novak's Ben Manalowitz — someone hell-bent on finding a big idea that will propel them to fame and fortune, with or without any actual profundity. Novak has played this semi-punchable character more than once, and in Vengeance, his feature film directorial debut, leans hard into it with a wink.
We've also seen a few spins on skewering podcasters, especially the true crime kind, so a tale of seeking vengeance for another dead white girl is on the verge of trope-y. However, Novak spins that trope on its head and subverts expectations in a way that mostly succeeds.
Through a series of circumstances, Ben ends up in rural Texas at the funeral of a hookup named Abilene (Lio Tipton), whose family believes was his serious girlfriend. The opening scene of Ben and his lothario friend (a very on-the-nose John Mayer) discussing their lack of commitment proves this unlikely. While in Texas, Ben is pushed to join Abilene's brother Ty (Boyd Holbrook) on a mission to find her killer, even though the police assume she accidentally overdosed on opioids. Ben sees this as a way to exploit a potential crime and maneuver himself into a popular podcast. The story takes on an extra layer by endearing us to this Texan family (played by J. Smith-Cameron, Louanne Stephens, Dove Cameron, Isabella Amara, and a charming Eli Bickel), somehow both well-rounded and adhering to a few half-baked archetypes. If you're hailing from the Lone Star State, you'll likely have a more nuanced evaluation.
Ashton Kutcher plays music producer Quentin Sellers, a desert-set sage who served as Abilene's music mentor and seems to have the wisdom Ben needs to guide his search. He drills home the point that these rural Texans aren't dumb, they just need a creative outlet to bring them to self-actualization. And in most ways, the film succeeds in fleshing these characters out as more than gun-toting rodeo fans who love Texas Tech.
Issa Rae co-stars as Eloise, a tactical podcast executive tasked with editing Ben's raw audio into a compelling podcast series sure to rocket Ben to fame. I'm a fan of Rae and was bummed that her scenes mostly involved reacting to the audio and setting up establishing shots that the podcast was being produced. She's capable of a lot more than she was given here.
All things point to a glittery and overblown story from an opportunistic New York media hound, but the sky falls around him as the story overtakes the author. Many of us likely took the ride with him as he begins to appreciate the Texan sunsets and the Whataburger that's "just right there."
I walked into this film with the same air of ignorance that B.J. Novak's Ben walked into Texas. I ended up leaving the film in a similar fashion as Ben left Texas — a little humbled and potentially a little less empty.
I never object to getting taken to task for my urban arrogance and this film gives it to us with some edge. Novak's writing and directing offer a surprisingly grounded take on elements seen so often we've become mostly immune: the opioid crisis, conspiracy theories, and charismatic men abusing their power.
At the heart of it, though, I never ended up caring about the whodunnit itself. But I also enjoy exploring a "when everything means something, nothing means anything" theme. I anticipate good things from future Novak directorial endeavors.
Catherine Clark is a Chicago-based editor and designer who spends time reading, gaming, writing, and producing independent films, and of course, watching movies en masse. You can find her words and work on USA Today, Nerd Wallet, Chicago Tribune, NPR, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, and more. You can find more of her reviews on Letterboxd.
We've also seen a few spins on skewering podcasters, especially the true crime kind, so a tale of seeking vengeance for another dead white girl is on the verge of trope-y. However, Novak spins that trope on its head and subverts expectations in a way that mostly succeeds.
Through a series of circumstances, Ben ends up in rural Texas at the funeral of a hookup named Abilene (Lio Tipton), whose family believes was his serious girlfriend. The opening scene of Ben and his lothario friend (a very on-the-nose John Mayer) discussing their lack of commitment proves this unlikely. While in Texas, Ben is pushed to join Abilene's brother Ty (Boyd Holbrook) on a mission to find her killer, even though the police assume she accidentally overdosed on opioids. Ben sees this as a way to exploit a potential crime and maneuver himself into a popular podcast. The story takes on an extra layer by endearing us to this Texan family (played by J. Smith-Cameron, Louanne Stephens, Dove Cameron, Isabella Amara, and a charming Eli Bickel), somehow both well-rounded and adhering to a few half-baked archetypes. If you're hailing from the Lone Star State, you'll likely have a more nuanced evaluation.
Ashton Kutcher plays music producer Quentin Sellers, a desert-set sage who served as Abilene's music mentor and seems to have the wisdom Ben needs to guide his search. He drills home the point that these rural Texans aren't dumb, they just need a creative outlet to bring them to self-actualization. And in most ways, the film succeeds in fleshing these characters out as more than gun-toting rodeo fans who love Texas Tech.
Issa Rae co-stars as Eloise, a tactical podcast executive tasked with editing Ben's raw audio into a compelling podcast series sure to rocket Ben to fame. I'm a fan of Rae and was bummed that her scenes mostly involved reacting to the audio and setting up establishing shots that the podcast was being produced. She's capable of a lot more than she was given here.
All things point to a glittery and overblown story from an opportunistic New York media hound, but the sky falls around him as the story overtakes the author. Many of us likely took the ride with him as he begins to appreciate the Texan sunsets and the Whataburger that's "just right there."
I walked into this film with the same air of ignorance that B.J. Novak's Ben walked into Texas. I ended up leaving the film in a similar fashion as Ben left Texas — a little humbled and potentially a little less empty.
I never object to getting taken to task for my urban arrogance and this film gives it to us with some edge. Novak's writing and directing offer a surprisingly grounded take on elements seen so often we've become mostly immune: the opioid crisis, conspiracy theories, and charismatic men abusing their power.
At the heart of it, though, I never ended up caring about the whodunnit itself. But I also enjoy exploring a "when everything means something, nothing means anything" theme. I anticipate good things from future Novak directorial endeavors.
Catherine Clark is a Chicago-based editor and designer who spends time reading, gaming, writing, and producing independent films, and of course, watching movies en masse. You can find her words and work on USA Today, Nerd Wallet, Chicago Tribune, NPR, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, and more. You can find more of her reviews on Letterboxd.
