I Don't Understand You

I didn't laugh one time. I expected a lot more from Andrew Rannells. I'm obsessed with him as Elijah in Girls, but even he can't save this. He and Nick Kroll had no chemistry. There weren't many actual jokes, just murder for some reason? A horror comedy that is neither horror nor comedy. I'm so mad I paid ten dollars to rent this. Even if it was free to stream I'd say skip it. The whole adoption premise has nothing to do with the story and was totally out of place. Amanda Seyfried is briefly in this for some reason, maybe as a favor, because this movie isn't doing her any favors either. It's so hard to find a good comedy.

My sneaking in went unrewarded here. Stars Andrew Rannells and Nick Kroll (Cole and Dom) are a gay couple with a botched adoption behind them. They are on the verge of closing the deal now after ten years, an anniversary they celebrate with an Italian trip. Candace (Amanda Seyfried) does pick them, but they're on a restaurant date and miss getting the news from the horse's mouth. So the chef's son Massimo (Morgan Spector) relays the message in a way threatening their lives. A blood bath ensues. I was done with this black comedy after 70 minutes. But I love Italy and the leads are good comedians, so I reluctantly stayed. This movie stinks something awful. SXSW Festival is a small sample size. Nunzia Shiano as Zia Luciana is good also. The acting overall is fine. The screenplay is preposterous garbage. I enjoyed the Italian setting and language, so that bumps the grade. But this was cringe level bad to sit through otherwise. Seyfried shouldn't even have wasted her time in a nothing role with this tripe.

In silly black comedy "I Don't Understand You" gay couple Nick Kroll & Andrew Rannells, prior to adopting Amanda Seyfried's unborn baby, take a holiday in Italy - including an evening as the only guests at Nunzia Schiano's remote rural restaurant, where the tone plunges from lightly dramatic to downright deadly farcical (in an almost "Weekend At Bernie's" stylee). Quite what co-writers / co-directors Brian Crano & first-timer Daniel Joseph Craig were aiming for is unclear, but their film is certainly eye-brow raising, often amusing, and has decent performances (esp Rannells')... but it's still a curious mish-mash that'll leave many more perplexed than entertained.

I really enjoyed this film throughout the entirety of its run time. I thought the premise was extremely silly and after going in blind, this movie had multiple twists that I was not at lol expecting. I really enjoyed how smart the story was at setting up twists that are so obvious once they are revealed but don't feel out of place when you are seeing them the first time. This movie just kept getting crazier and it was really fun to see just how far they could take the bit. I really enjoyed the simplicity of the premise and was impressed with just how much they got out of a such a simple yet interesting premise.

And that's why we should really do better background checks....

Had its moments but really wish it was a bit funnier in the first half. Takes so long to get going to anything you don't already have spoiled for you in the trailer, and really no memorable jokes or funny moments during the 30 minutes of set up for the film.

It's a funny enough premise and the final act was enjoyable as a what else could possibly go wrong sentimentality, but I just left wanting more.

If you are a Nick Kroll fan, you may still enjoy, but I think you'll find much better comedies and horror films (if I'd even really call it that) this year for sure.