Movie Review: Vengeance

2.5 stars out of 5

I should’ve trusted my gut. The trailer for this seemed pretty good, and yet, possibly not good. And I had the same reaction watching B.J. Novak’s Hulu anthology series The Premise. But I do have to move the car on Tuesdays, and it was 8,000 degrees outside, and I’m a member at the Clairidge theater so a matinee is only 5 bucks. So there I was, in air-conditioned splendor, watching Vengeance, enjoying it and then not really.

Novak can write jokes, that’s clear. His dad co-edited The Big Book of Jewish Humor and B.J. inherited that interest. (The movie’s title is even presented in Woody font.) As this flick began, I thought it might be that dying breed: a straight-up comedy. The characters aren’t believable but that’s fine, as long as it’s funny. And there are zingers a-plenty here, as perma-bachelor Ben learns that one of his many hookups has died, her family thinks they were truly in love, and her brother thinks she was murdered and wants Ben to help him track down the killers. Zany!

But with fish-out-of-water Jewish New Yorker podcast reporter Ben now in Texas, this eventually becomes the dreaded Comedy With Heart. Which is, you know, also fine. It was the sort of movie perfect to see with the folks over Thanksgiving weekend: not great but harmless, mildly funny, kind of sweet. Three stars out of five.

And then it gets worse. In sports speak, Novak “loses the handle.”

I get the feeling he wanted to make a really good movie — funny but also makes you THINK — but Novak just isn’t a talented enough writer/director to make it happen. And yet he’s very fond of himself. I’m reminded of Louis CK’s bit about Matt Damon writing Good Will Hunting: “The main character is a janitor but he’s really good-looking and also a mathematical genius.” Of course he is, you’re writing your own character! In Vengeance, Novak frequently cuts back to Issa Rae (wasted here), Ben’s podcast editor back in New York, smiling and nodding as she listens to his great wisdom. How smart he is! How insightful about the human condition! Wait, Novak WROTE HER REACTIONS!

Novak himself is likable in this movie, though probably a decade too old for the character. J. Smith-Cameron, who was so good on Rectify, is believable as a Texas mom. Unfortunately that’s not the case for the rest of the cast. And Ashton Kutcher shows up as a small-town record producer who’s really philosophical. Because screenwriter Novak has an awful lot of theories he wants to share.

I think the ideal way to watch this movie is on a plane (and it will be there soon), where you’re thinking, hmm, will I have time to see the whole thing before we land… because if you miss the ending, you’ll actually enjoy it more.