By Mark Saldana
Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars)
Though generational divisions have always existed, they feel much more obvious and in public in today’s political climate. This SXSW treat of a comedy/horror flick lampoons both sides of the modern generational/political wall. Amanda Crew stars as Olive, a recently unemployed millennial who is lost and uncertain what to do with her future. Though she has always dreamed of becoming an accomplished musician, things haven’t exactly worked out for her.
Needed some relaxing alone time, Olive rents a quiet house in the country to decompress and regroup. Harvey (Robert Patrick), the house’s caretaker is a grouchy old man, fed up with the younger generations he feels are ruining his beloved nation. Harvey is not just a grumpy curmudgeon, though. When he loses his temper, he loses total control.
Written and directed by Richard Bates, Jr., this hilarious dark comedy might just be a soothing balm our world needs today. As I stated above, Bates not only lampoon millennials and some of their flaws, he also takes on the boomer generation and some of their backwards mentality. The result is a riotous and exciting thriller that gets violent, but never loses its wonderful sense of humor.