Director: B.J. Novak
Screenplay: B.J. Novak
Starring: B.J. Novak, Boyd Holbrook, Ashton Kutcher, Issa Rae, J. Smith-Cameron, Isabella Amara, Dove Cameron, Eli Bickel, Louanne Stephens
Country: USA
Running Time: 107 min
Year: 2022
BBFC Certificate: 15
B.J. Novak is best known as an actor, making a name for himself playing Ryan Howard in the US version of the popular sitcom The Office, as well as appearing in some big movies in supporting roles. However, behind the scenes, he’s also written and directed a number of episodes of The Office and other series, as well as writing a few books and articles. Last year, Novak took a step further, pooling these skills together to write, direct and star in his own feature film, Vengeance.
Now, I don’t tend to review many new release titles, sticking to the classic, cult and indie boutique discs I’m more comfortable with. However, I caught the trailer for Vengeance at the cinema a couple of times and it intrigued me. So, when I was offered a Blu-ray screener of the film’s home release by Mediumrare to review, I put in a request and here we are.
Vengeance sees Novak play Ben Manalowitz, a New York writer who’s enjoying his metropolitan, zero-commitment, hook-up lifestyle but wants to give his career a boost by launching a hit podcast.
Ben’s initial ideas don’t impress his producer Eloise (Issa Rae) but a strange incident gives him the inspiration to pursue something that does catch her attention. Ben receives a phone call from Ty Shaw (Boyd Holbrook), who tells him that his girlfriend Abi, Ty’s sister, has died from a drug overdose and he should head straight to Texas to attend her funeral. The thing is, Ben barely remembers Abi. She was just a short-term hook-up, at least in his eyes.
Strong-armed into attending the funeral though, Ben heads over to Texas. Whilst there, he spends time with Ty, who thinks Abi was actually murdered and wants Ben to help him get revenge. Ben believes it was a simple overdose, as the police stated, but thinks that investigating Ty’s suspicions would make a great podcast, exploring grief and denial, as well as the conspiracy theory culture currently prevalent in America. So, Ben stays with the Shaw family and starts asking questions around town to find out what really happened to Abi.
Whilst he speaks to people in the area, Ben learns there’s more to them than meets the eye and he becomes close to Abi’s family, despite their differences.
I felt Vengeance’s approach to its subject matter was both a strength and a weakness. I appreciated how Novak’s script did a good job of subverting expectations, often introducing us to characters as being dumb, Southern ‘yokels’ on the surface but then making sense of their actions and showing them to be a lot smarter than they seem or at least thinking from their heart. However, this ‘everyone’s bright, warm and friendly down south’ approach does lack bite.
Also, whilst the film, for the most part, thoughtfully dissects a number of contemporary issues, most notably the cultural/ideological divide in the US, as well as the obsession with documenting everything online and other hot topics, the conclusion that we should all just get along, listen to each other and accept our differences seems a little simplistic.
The ideas are explored fairly successfully though, for the most part, even if the lengthy philosophical discussions of each subject can feel a little forced in places and tell, rather than show, what conclusions the film thinks we should take. The mystery plot that anchors the film is a little threadbare too. There are some dark twists towards the end that give a sharp edge to the finale though, even if the overriding moral can feel a little banal and there’s one of the oldest tricks in the book incorporated in the final ‘showdown’.
The charm of the cast helps everything run smoothly too, selling the dialogue-heavy material. Ashton Kutcher, who had worked with Novak back in his Punk’d days, is the standout in the cast. His record producer character, Quentin Sellers, is incredibly charismatic and sharp.
Overall, whilst Vengeance occasionally over-simplifies and overstates its messages, it’s nevertheless an enjoyable and interesting exploration of our troubled modern society.
Film: 
Vengeance is out on 16th January on Blu-Ray and DVD in the UK, released by Mediumrare. I watched the Blu-ray and the picture quality is excellent, as you’d expect from a modern, digitally-shot title. The audio is crisp and clear too.
There are no special features of note included on the disc, unfortunately, just a trailer.
Disc/Package: