The start of Detest Thy Neighbor provides a easy premise. Down-on-his-luck freelance product reviewer Will Larkfield (Brennan Clost) is choosing up the items after his father’s traumatic dying, leaving him the heir of a rural farm. Whereas struggling to maintain his large metropolis job beneath a boss he does not like, he turns into acquainted together with his neighbor and beekeeper Wanda Belrose (Lauren Holly).
Nevertheless, their first encounter does not begin them off on the suitable foot. Will is agitated about his large life change, main him to insinuate Wanda could have taken an EpiPen that was imagined to be delivered to his home. Nevertheless, the honey vendor is not the friendliest herself, making impolite remarks about Will that drives an instantaneous rift between them.
Detest Thy Neighbor is directed by Sergio Navarretta and written by Christian Majewski.
It does not take lengthy for this battle to escalate, with Will’s skittish nature clashing towards Wanda’s brash annoyance at his presence. What begins out as a small, near-insignificant spat rapidly turns into a nonstop battle. Whereas the film’s concepts and interaction between characters curiously multi-layered, it does have some vital drawbacks that make its deliciously intriguing premise half-baked.
Detest Thy Neighbor’s Comedic Makes an attempt Typically Get Misplaced In Translation
Whereas making an attempt to strike a steadiness between comedy and drama, Detest Thy Neighbor feels extra prefer it consistently flip-flops between the 2. That is principally as a result of the occasions that occur to Will are sometimes over-the-top by way of how bitter they turn into. Wanda is only one of many people who find themselves consistently imply to him, placing him down even for the smallest of offenses.
This extra mean-spirited strategy to the comedy would work if different characters felt like that they had extra redeeming qualities. Whereas there are implications surrounding why Wanda is so vile to him, her backstory shouldn’t be practically as fleshed-out as Will’s, barring one scene she’s not even current for. However others, from his pompous boss to random individuals he speaks to on the cellphone, make him really feel just like the unluckiest individual on the planet.
Fortunately, the film offers him with a semi-constructive mentor in Joe Dickinson (Shaun Benson), a farmer who was pals with Will’s dad. Though he is imperfect, together with his antics making Will uncomfortable at occasions, he is the closest factor he has to a pal all through the film. There’s additionally another quirky characters additionally elevate the comedic moments, like Jessica Greco’s Daphne Moran.
Regardless of its flaws, the movie does do a superb job at growing its characters…
However, for probably the most half, the comedy will get misplaced among the many superfluous sequence of misfortunes Will alone suffers. Given how mean-spirited everyone seems to be to him, it makes the entire world really feel evil, including sympathy to his plight with Wanda. But it surely additionally makes the comedic ways really feel so repetitive, they merely begin slogging when somebody’s been overly impolite to him for the twenty-sixth time.
Fortunately, the film counteracts this with some actually sturdy performances from its solid. Clost does a superb job at displaying how a lot the pressures of Will’s new life are attending to him, whereas Holly’s Wanda is fittingly venomous with each line she spews. The initially mysterious Valerie (Brittany Raymond) can also be a delight, along with her character having probably the most hidden layers to unpack throughout the movie’s runtime.
Detest Thy Neighbor Slowly Unravels Its Level – Virtually To Its Detriment
Equally, the place Detest Thy Neighbor has points blurring the road between comedy and drama, it does excel at its extra dramatic concepts. Whereas Will all the time tries to do the suitable factor, his closed-minded nature grows obvious because the movie progresses. Regardless of how over-the-top reactions to his character are within the realm of comedy, the extra dramatic moments do a spectacular job at displaying why he wants to alter.
That is particularly obvious in his relationship with Valerie, who initially needs to be extra than simply pals. The ups and downs of their interactions with one another heart Will’s flaws, whereas additionally giving the story an added depth that goes past simply the anti-neighborly battle. It additionally makes for an necessary component that redefines sure points of the story at a later level.
However, whereas its exploration of Will as a personality and the best way he interacts together with his new environment are a core focus, Detest Thy Neighbor additionally delivers too little too late. The film meanders consistently within the shallows of his outlook on the world, going deeper in solely when the movie is nearly to wrap up. This lessens the intrigue because the movie goes on, even when it is offered competently within the appearing and filmmaking departments.
Regardless of its flaws, the movie does do a superb job at growing its characters, making it so the quite swift wrap-up nonetheless feels according to the film’s presentation. Despite the fact that there’s lots concerning the movie that might have been extra developed, particularly within the comedy points, the story beats Will and Wanda expertise are nonetheless partaking sufficient, even when the general presentation may very well be stronger.
Detest Thy Neighbor, despite its considerably middling comedy, nonetheless presents an attention-grabbing battle rounded out by sturdy, dramatic character arcs and memorable performances. Though the film is not good, it is nonetheless a reasonably partaking, grounded story about two neighbors clashing, with some attention-grabbing concepts that take barely too lengthy to percolate.
Detest Thy Neighbor is in theaters August 29.