Vengeance will be in theaters on July 29th 2022.
The Office’s BJ Novak makes his directorial film with the indie film Vengeance. Even though he is best known as Ryan in the hit NBC series The Office, he is also a talented writer. Novak has written many books and published works in The Harvard Lampoon and The New Yorker. What many may not know about Novak is that he did write over dozen episodes of The Office and even directed a few episodes of the series.
Vengeance is a great feature film debut for BJ Novak, who writes, stars, and directs. The film opens up with Novak’s character Ben and John Mayer at a New York City party. They are talking about women and dating and the stigmas that come with navigating relationships in our current culture. However, once Ben gets dragged to Texas due to a former “fling” dying, that is where the wild ride begins. Ben has been trying to develop a podcast and senses that this unfortunate death may be his opportunity. If you are from Texas or familiar with the lone star’s state culture, you will enjoy the remarks and jokes made throughout. The film has tons of satire; most of the time, it seems forced and unnatural, which causes the movie to feel flat.
Such A Talented Cast!
It has been a while since I have seen Ashton Kutcher in a film; and his appearance was great, and he delivered some of the best lines that were profound. The film also features Issa Rae, J. Smith-Cameron, and Boyd Holbrook, who I am a big fan of, and I look forward to seeing Holbrook as The Corinthian in Netflix’s The Sandman. However, this film could have delivered a more polished product if it took the murder mystery part more seriously. Instead, we have Novak’s character Ben showcasing all the wonderful podcast and recording products you get from companies like ZOOM. In the end, Vengeance is a dark comedy that could have gone darker and riskier, but Novak seems to pull back on the reigns until the end.
Verdict
I give Vengeance 3 out of 5 stars. I applaud BJ Novak’s directorial debut and look forward to him crafting his talents. Catch it in theaters beginning July 29th.
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Sean Tajipour
Sean Tajipour is the Founder and Editor of Nerdtropolis and the host of the Moviegoers Society Podcast. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association. You can follow on Twitter and Instagram @Seantaj.