By: Kimberly Grant
They say revenge is a dish best served cold. If that’s the case, then vengeance is as cool as ice tea. If you’re a Christian, then your first thought about vengeance is that it belongs to God. But what happens when belief and perception clash? You have BJ Novak’s Vengeance.
Vengeance will be in theaters nationwide on July 29.
Culture Reference
Written and directed by Novak, Vengeance is about Ben Manalowitz’s (Novak) journey through hookup culture, the phenomenon of explaining away bad behavior of famous/public figures, and the lies we tell in pursuit of a quick fix. In Vengeance, Ben is roped into travelling from New York City to No Name, Texas, for the funeral of Abby (Lio Tipton) a girl he hooked up with a few times. After spending time with her family, Ben sees the opportunity to create a podcast that is unfortunately called “Dead White Girl”.
While building his podcast, Ben is roped into investigating Abby’s overdose, which her brother, Ty (Boyd Holbrook) has deemed a homicide. Ben, a card-carrying liberal, is thrust into the heart of Conspiracy-theory Country, where the police are a joke and the locals take the law into their own hands. There is no Blue Lives Matter here.
After a while, Ben’s podcast gains much traction with his producer, Eloise (Issa Rae). Beyond that, the film and the podcast evolve into a study of middle America and what it means to turn a blind eye to facts. Was Abby murdered? Or did she genuinely overdose in an oil field? The truth could be somewhere in the middle or all the way right.
Working Smarter
It’s about time someone made a smart movie about hookup culture (using dating apps for the basis of hooking up) and conspiracy theorists. We live in an age of caring too much or not caring enough. Novak doesn’t just use the characters to make a point. He also points a finger at the spectators quietly observing the chaos and casually taking a side to pass judgement.
This wouldn’t be a review without addressing the acting. Ashton Kutcher as Quentin is different in a disturbing way. His character’s vibe is like the neighborhood creep. The audience knows the character is beloved, but we sense he has bad intentions. Dove Cameron as Jasmine and her fake Texas accent represent what is wrong with American teens. She’s in great physical health, but in bad mental health. There doesn’t seem to be much of a moral center.
Holbrook as Ty is the personification of conspiracy theorists. His heart is in the right place. His actions are elsewhere. And, Novak does a great job of bringing brevity to a serous situation. Issa, unfortunately, is cast as the supportive black friend. But she plays her part well. The film needed color.
Life’s too short to spend it having random hookups. The shallow life is clearly unfulfilling. At its heart, Vengeance is about standing for something so that you don’t fall for anything. Or you can end up the subject of some random guy’s podcast with an unfortunate title that encourages your crazy relatives to defend your honor.
For more movie reviews by Kimberly Grant, you can see her last review here.
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