Hi everyone!
It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another Fantastic Fest feature review from our good friend Andrew Campbell. He has recently gotten super fancy press credentials for this year’s Fantastic Fest, and will be taking in as many films as his eyeballs and bladder can manage. I’m so jealous of his opportunity, but happy knowing we’ll all profit from his endeavors here on the podcast. For a few other reviews from Andrew, check out “Dogman” (Episode #565), “The Wind” (Episode #572), and “Holiday” (Episode #579).
Before the review, we’ll have a promo from the Comics in Motion Podcast. Every week, Dave and Chris tackle a film based on a comic book. Don’t miss their recent episode looking at Amazon Prime’s runaway hit, “The Boys”! You can connect with them on Twitter and Instagram @ComicsinMotionP and on Facebook @ComicsInMotionPodcast. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.
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Here we go!
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Hello film fans!
Andrew here - back this week with a Fantastic Fest rarity... a comedy. If you set aside the comedic horror films, perhaps only three of the 70 or so films that played the 2018 festival can be classified as comedies. Remarkably, this includes two little seen films that currently sit at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. “Slut in a Good Way” is a stylish black & white French-Canadian teen comedy-drama available on VOD. “Keep an Eye Out” is a terrifically absurd French crime comedy from Director Quentin Dupieux, best known for 2010’s “Rubber” about a car tire that uses its psychic powers for murder. This film is still not available stateside in any format, but I loved it so I’ll, uh, keep an eye out and I’lllet you know when it’s released. Setting those aside, let’s discuss a film that did not fare so well with critics
Today’s movie is “An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn”, the American-Scottish crime comedy written by Jim Hosking and David Wike, and directed by Hosking. “Luff Linn” stars Aubrey Plaza as Lulu, a waitress married to her overbearing boss Shane Danger (Emile Hirsch). Lulu feels trapped in her domestic life until she spots her former lover Beverly (Craig Robinson) on a television ad for “An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn: For One Magical Night Only”. Through a madcap series of events, she ends up fleeing to the hotel hosting the event with an infatuated drifter Colin (Jemaine Clement), where they get to know one another in the days leading up to the show.
On its surface, the plot isn’t too far out in left field for a comedy, but it doesn’t take more than five minutes of this film to know whether or not it’s for you. Jim Hosking’s only previous film, “The Greasy Strangler”, was a stomach-churningly vulgar horror comedy that I couldn’t look away from... but would be embarrassed to recommend. On the heels of that film, it’s remarkable that Hosking was able to pull together such a cast for a follow-up that would clearly not connect with mainstream audiences. Plaza does her pouty, sarcastic routine to great effect, while Clement gives a career-highlight performance playing his typical lovable loser character, with the ham-factor cranked to its limits. Hirsch nails the role of the villain, complete with two idiot henchmen.
Where the film may lose some people is the rest of the cast. Craig Robinson in the title role (Beverly is a man’s name!) speaks only in grunts, an affectation that grates on the viewer while muting Robinson’s comedic chops. Then we get the side characters, who, like in Hosking’s previous film, are portrayed by a motley crew who rank many steps below the level of “non-professional actor” as they cough, wheeze, shout, and mumble their way through the peculiar script. If you can tolerate the cast, the film is very rewarding.
What makes “An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn” fantastic?The characters in this film are unique unto themselves, all while fitting perfectly together in Hosking’s well-crafted alternate reality, where human behavior is just a little different. Second to the characters, and well ahead of the plot, what makes this film so enjoying are the bizarre bits of inessentials hidden along the way, such as Clement as Colin scarfing down an appalling plate of cheesy onion rings, and repeatedly ordering a decadent chocolate cocktail called “a rum and a ramble”. We also are treated to Colin’s stories about the thrilling origin of his name, as well as how his grandma used hard candies as incentive to get him to stop pooping in the woods.
“An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn” (2018) is the very definition of a polarizing cult comedy, featuring bizarre characters acting poorly, portrayed by an eclectic cast intentionally acting poorly. Fans of farcical comedies starring Jemaine Clement, such as “Gentlemen Broncos” or Taika Waititi’s “Eagle vs Shark”, will enjoy this film.
Rotten Tomatoes: 51%
Metacritic: 54
One Movie Punch: 8.4/10
“An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn” (2018) is rated R and is available everywhere on VOD.
Well, if you thought today’s film was a little out of place, come back next week for the newest film from... Jean-Claude Van Damme? That’s right, JCVD has returned to Fantastic Fest ten years after the bizarre and beloved, semi-autobiographical film called “JCVD” debuted there. Have your ID ready for “The Bouncer” and we’ll see if this new action-thriller is worth waiting in line for.
I’ll see you then!
