Day 1: How It Ends, On the Count of Three

Jan. 29, 2021

How It Ends, dir. Zoe Lister-Jones, Daryl Weir

On the Count of Three, dir. Jerrod Carmichael

How It Ends

NR | 82 minutes

I really enjoyed this film. It's very introspective and a sort of allegory for the pandemic we're in now. I love how Cailee Spaeny's character is a physical representation of introspection and how you can't really love anybody if you don't love yourself. This is a "made-in-the-pandemic" film and you can feel that a bit. That only took me out a little bit just because we are still in the pandemic so seeing things that remind me of it aren't my favorite right now (Don't worry, it's not about the pandemic). There is so much fun here. A plethora of famous comedians and comedic actors (who are friends of the filmmakers) show up throughout and do a fantastic job. It's like an It's Always Sunny/New Girl reunion in here! Most of the cameos were improvised, and you can kind of tell, but they are so funny, it's permissible. Lamorne Morris, Olivia Wilde, and Charlie Day (and his wife Mary Elizabeth) have the biggest standout scenes. I audibly LOL'd during all three of these scenes. The film is hilarious throughout, but those were special. This film reminds me a lot of last year's Palm Springs in that its story, which involves strong morbidity, is greatly balanced with effective comedic elements. Even though it is "about" the pandemic, I do think this is the kind of film we need right now.

Final Thought: A funny and lighthearted take on impending doom, How It Ends is an emotionally intelligent and introspective journey, and the first "made-in-pandemic" film I've seen that makes me wish I'd seen it in a theater.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

On the Count of Three

NR | 84 minutes

This is a PITCH black, I mean MIDNIGHT black comedy. You’d think a film about two friends, one of which escapes from a mental institution, that make a pact to kill each other at the end of the day would be lighter than that, huh? (I am joking, of course.) In his directorial debut, comedian Jerrod Carmichael successfully, if at times rocky, tows the line between comedy and tragedy. His cast of all-star comedians in dramatic roles really tow the line well also. Christopher Abbott, who plays opposite Jerrod Carmichael, is fantastic. His performance was the standout for me. He really played his mentally disturbed character well and successfully injected humor where needed. Now, the film does suffer from a bit of tonal imbalance (like I said, it’s rocky). Sometimes the humor seems misplaced, making it hard in that moment to take the film seriously as a drama. But other times, the drama is SO INTENSE (this movie is HELLA stressful... like Uncut Gems or Good Time stressful) that you feel, in that moment, cheated out of what you thought was supposed to be a comedy. The film deals with a lot, without going into too much detail about specific issues, but I think it works well. Had they spoken on them any more than they did, all the other topics and issues would have felt out of place or imbalanced. At 84 minutes, the film moves quickly, but you never feel cheated out of a complete journey.

Final Thought: On The Count of Three is a MIDNIGHT BLACK comedy that is funny, HELLA stressful and thought-provoking, though at times, it suffers from a bit of tonal imbalance.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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