B.J. Novak writes, directs, and leads the cast of this impressive feature debut, a murder-mystery, dark comedy set in deepest Texas where a podcaster must determine how a former flame died. Did she overdose, or was she murdered?
One would be forgiven for being put off by the film’s opening scene – a two-way conversation between two mates in the early hours of the morning in a swanky outside bar overlooking the Hudson River, Manhattan’s towering skyscrapers glistening in the background. This is a stomping ground for the cool and the elite and two seemingly very obnoxious men discuss dating in today’s climate, boasting about past conquests and the best way to configure the latest cool app for maximum success. One of them is Ben Manalowitz (Novak), a journalist whose life is about to go south – both physically and potentially figuratively. Maybe.
He receives a call in the middle of the night from an unknown caller, somewhere in Texas. On the other end of the call is Ty (Boyd Holbrook) who tells Ben that his girlfriend, Abby is dead. The thing is, Abby was merely just one of Ben’s conquests, a mere notch on the bedpost, and initially he has no recollection of her. Ty, brother to Abby, we soon discover, insists that Ben attend the funeral in person, and when the two meet, he explains that he thinks that his sister didn’t overdose, but was, in fact, murdered.
The mystery element kicks in from this point, and Ben agrees to go on Ty’s fantastical mission to find the killer after he manages to convince a top podcast producer (Issa Rae) to take the story.
Novak’s film is engaging to watch from the off, mostly due to its constant wit, the film making this viewer laugh out loud repeatedly, particularly earlier on in the tale. It has a great cast, including a brilliant J. Smith-Cameron (Succession) as Sharon Shaw, the matriarch of the Texan family that wholeheartedly takes Ben in. There’s music from Finneas O’Connell, brother and composing partner of Billie Eilish, this his second soundtrack following work on 2021’s The Fallout.
Those coming along for the ride for the ‘mystery’ element might be let down, however, as this film is more intent on the message(s) at the forefront of the story, and its rather anti-climactic third act may leave those rather unsatisfied. This is no Knives Out.
That said, I rather enjoyed Novak’s glinting look at a slice of contemporary America and his examination of social media and the app-obsessed generation we’re all guilty of being.
A promising if imperfect directorial debut worthy of attention on the home formats, though the release is devoid of any bonus materials, save a trailer for the film.
Vengeance is out now on DVD and Blu-ray.
Vengeance
Summary
A solid debut from Novak, and a great social commentary on our obsessions with recording our lives with our phones, and America’s political divide – along with a witty screenplay and excellent cast.
