Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Vengeance 

BJ Novak has crafted one of the sharpest written films I’ve seen all year! So this film didn’t get a lot of press and attention upon its release earlier this year how I stumbled upon it was from word of mouth online. As their were a small group of people who had seen this film and said it’s a fun indie dark comedy. Added  with some well done drama to it and now I am so glad I got a chance to check this film out. Why I say that is because it is as I mentioned well written but has such heart to it if it’s the performances that are cast truly perfectly to the way that BJ Novak melds comedy and drama together in this at times very socially effective take on society today. It isn’t a straight comedy but it has terrific well earned humour and at the same time it isn’t a straight up drama either but it really can hit you like a punch in the heart at moments and so the way both styles compliment each other within the context of the story we are told is honestly genius In it’s execution. 

Firstly, The themes this film discusses goes for the jugular in a brutal way. Now the film shows us at first glance this super self obsessed person who doesn’t really care about others. The character we follow just sees everyday people as categories and especially when it comes to relationships he feels that you need to have options and he talks with his friends in the beginning of the film about it being healthy to exercise your options and theirs no shame in that in their perspective that is. Now the way they go about with their opinion on that is very selfish as they will have 7 to 5 girls they talk to and don’t invest their heart into but just see them as a fun hook up and nothing more nothing less and that’s just the first scene guys. As we are supposed to now care about this guy who has zero compassion and feelings for any relationship but when he’s thrust into going to a funeral for a girl he met up with a few times but to her family thought he cared a lot for her makes it a big lesson for him as person and he matures due to it along the way. As the film also discusses not exploiting peoples pain for popularity. As his intention for going down to Texas to begin with was to get some big juicy headline from it and get a lot of media attention and the more he finds out about this family and about the girl that died far to soon the more he comes to realize their lives and pain shouldn’t be put out their as entertainment. Theirs a great line towards the end of the film where he says “this just stays with us” theirs a beauty to that line as he respects them not to embarrass them which was his motive and it also shows how much he’s evolved over the course of the film as well. Another striking theme I thought about after the film finished was the commentary on how as a society we feel we need to record everything and that if we didn’t then theirs nothing left of us to be remembered for it’s very honest in its discussion of that and I didn’t predict BJ Novak to tackle such a heavy topic in a very brutally raw way. And so the way the themes he brings up over the course of this film is done really stuck out to me and is one of the biggest strengths is it’s ability to tackle some pretty damn heavy things. It’s done in a very smart and well written way that doesn’t feel preachy but it’s their and so the sense of style, comedic timing and drama woven into this film really made the story pop. 

Secondly, The performances are so Damn good here. Now I’m going to say it Aston Kutcher who delivers a career best performance in this film and I’ve seen quiet a lot of his films. His work in the Steve jobs biopic from many years ago I hailed as his best performance at that time as I didn’t think he could top it but wow did he ever with his work in vengeance it’s truly a chilling and engaging performance you cannot look away from. Then you have BJ Novak the star of the film who gives also what I think is his best performance and I first remember seeing him in the Office way way back and I’ve seen him pop up in small roles here and their over the years but here he is the main star. He has such a strong leading quality to the screen that just grabs you the moment he’s onscreen he is able to do such a great ability of delivering dry humour and then hard hitting emotion as well it’s a truly incredible performance by him. Then you have Boyd Holbrook who amazed me with his work in Logan back in 2017 and here he plays what you think is going to be a humour performance which on the surface is what it looks like. That being said as the film progresses we dig deeper into who this man is with his family and how much he loves his sister that passed away and he packs quite a lot of heart into his performance and by the end of the film he’ll be your favourite character he did such a terrific job here. Overall all the performances in the film are great but it’s these three that truly steal the show. 

Lastly, Vengeance is a drama comedy that comments on the social climate of social media, relationships and the importance of legacy. Now it’s done in a way that dose not feel political or preachy but is very smartly Written and directed by BJ Novak who crafts this strong story with truly fun characters and an engaging story that will have you wrapped up in every frame until the end Vengeance is one of the best films of the year. I recommend everyone check this film out. 

This film centres around a guy who is asked to come to a funeral for a girl he barley knew and is told she was murdered and so he goes down to figure out how she died. 

Rated R : Language and Brief Violence

BJ Novak : BJ Novak delivers this very emotionally captivating performance in Vengeance! Now I’ve been following this man’s career for decades since the Office in the early 2000’s. Since then I’ve seen him pop up in films like Saving Mr Banks, Inglorious Basterds, The Founder and even freaking Smurf’s. so I’ve seen my fair share of his films and I can form a opinion on what I think his best performance is and without a doubt it’s Vengeance as not only is it his strongest work as actor but also as a screenwriter and director he is doing so much on this film and he holds it all together greatly. That said his performance needs to get the proper attention it deserves as he plays this large type A Hole in the beginning of the film that just cares about himself and what he can Benefit financially from this poor family’s pain. He also thinks of it in terms of having a stronger reputation by how juicy this story is he could get a lot of acclaim from this tragedy that  this family has been through. The way BJ Novak plays it is so well done as you can see how empty of a person he is in the first act sure he can talk a mile a minute and be very quippy and smart but he has nothing in terms of stability emotionally. He has no friends no family support and not anything in terms of love not to sound cheesy but it’s true. So when he spends more and more time with this family he starts to like them and he sees their love for him also and so he starts to open up more emotionally and be vulnerable with them. Resulting in very emotionally sincere moments from BJ Novak who delivers his lines with a softness and tenderness that he didn’t in the first act as he was a shallow human being and now he is full of love and at the same time we see that evolution of him as a person as he was very emotionally deaf with how he treated people and BJ presents that sharpness in a very cut throat way with how he carry’s himself to the way he speaks with this sarcastic tone that many won’t notice as he masks himself behind his sarcasm. Then when we get to the more emotional side of him not only does it result in great scene moments for him but we see how he can finally express himself for who he is even if he lets it all out about why he went down their to begin with. He can finally know that he can feel other things besides just being a large type spineless person with zero compassion. And I may have dissected his performance to the 15th degree here but honestly though his arc as a character is truly terrific and he walks a great line between the dry humour he lets out for a good portion on the film but when he finally can open up and embrace that raw emotion it is truly captivating to witness as he is truly outstanding in this film. I hope he gets more leading parts like this because not only does he show he is capable of doing it but his emotional range in this performance is incredible and I would love to see him do something in this vein again a truly career best performance here by BJ Novak. 

Aston Kutcher : Best performance he’s ever given is in this film holy hell! Now this man I’ve seen almost everything he’s been in. For the longest time I said his performance as Steve Jobs was the best work of his career and after seeing his work in Vengeance he raises that bar even higher with his work here. He plays this deep and Profound music producer that does really shady things but has really interesting views on the world. Now the way Aston Kutcher goes about portraying this very complex character is truly extraordinary. He has this way of how he speaks and just his sheer screen presence that’s truly engaging to watch as you expect him to be this energetic personality but he’s very quiet in nature and has a lot to express emotionally. Once he goes on about a thought he has in his brain he will talk about it in depth until you understand why his view on that subject is the way it is and you will even think some of his points are valid and how Aston presents it onscreen is so captivating as he brings this charm that makes you like him instantly but then he draws you in with those thought provoking monologues that dig a hook into your brain. It’s a performance where he pulls back on the emotion and is very quiet about it but still can steal the scene with his emotional reserve quality he brings to this complex character. When you see him for the first time to the last scene you see of him you can’t quiet figure out what to make of this character Kutcher is bringing to the screen but truly his work in the film is a scene stealing supporting performance that is his best work of his career Aston Kutcher is magnificent in this film. 

Boyd Holbrook : This guy was hilariously entertaining! This actor has been popping up in so many solid films lately. I first saw him in Logan as he played Pierce and captivated the hell out of me with his work on that as going toe to toe with the Wolverine isn’t easy. Then to see him here was a real treat as he as mentioned earlier at first glance seems like the comedic type for the film and it easily could of stayed that way but BJ Novak dug deeper into his heart and I loved that. Because when you see him he seems very adorably blind to people being sarcastic to him as he’s so focused on the bigger picture of family he never lets that ruin his day he just is so happy about the values of family and love and his outlook on life was so positive. Now seeing that way he executes that was so well done as it resulted in great comedic moments of genuine laughs that really worked and then he can switch it up and just rip your heart out in emotionally driven scenes later on. As lovable as a character he is he is very protective of his family and won’t hesitate to intimidate or put on that tough persona if need be and Boyd switches between those two emotional layers effortlessly and damn is he good at making that transition so smooth. It’s a performance that mixed comedy with hard boiled drama at times and he presents it greatly onscreen and it’s a character that by the end of the film will be your favourite person in the film as he is so likeable and fun to watch. Boyd Holbrook just brings this fun but also emotionally grounded character to life in such a gripping way that you can’t look away he has such passion and life to his delivery you can’t help but smile overall Boyd Holbrook delivers a truly incredible performance with his work in Vengeance. 

BJ Novak : BJ Novak gives a hell of a first directed film with Vengeance! Now this is easily in my top 10 favourite films of the year.  As he wrote and directed a story that was filled to the brim with comedy and all the while kept it grounded with emotional depth and explore serious social commentary themes throughout.  He gives the audience a film to laugh with and cry at times and leave the theatre with a big smile on their face as what this film has tons of is heart and you can feel it in every frame of this film. As BJ Novak crafts such interesting characters with this story with an already interesting narrative at hand and then takes those characters and plot and just runs with it and showcases the depths and arcs that they go through over the course of the film. As he has a great skill at directing and writing and whatever he does next I’m excited for because he can meld genres so greatly as he easily could of made this a straightforward comedy and he didn’t same with drama but instead he put them both together and it was explosively brilliant. The writing was razor sharp along with truly fantastic performances from the whole cast and just made your heart full by the end of the film. He delivers on all fronts of a storyteller from a directing perspective he was incredible his performance was magnificent and the writing again was top notch BJ Novak knocked this one out of the park with his direction and writing on vengeance what a solid job he did.