Vengeance Review: B.J. Novak’s Directorial Debut Showcases Showstopping Performances, But Buckles Under the Weight of An Aging Script
New directors can come from various backgrounds. They could start out as an actor, writer, producer, stuntperson, anything in between, or even someone who has no experience at all in the entertainment industry. This variety of backgrounds always excites me when I hear of a new director making their first film.
So, when it was announced that B.J. Novak’s directorial debut, Vengeance, would premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Festival, I emailed every contact I could think of. Of course, since I’m writing this a month later, you know how that worked.
Nevertheless, I was excited. I hadn’t watched much of Novak’s previous roles in The Office, The Mindy Project, or Saving Mr. Banks. However, I did catch him in Inglorious Basterds, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, The Founder, and his anthology series, The Premise. From what I’ve seen thus far, there’s no reason to think he wouldn’t make an excellent director someday. In fact, after The Premise, I’d come to expect it. Novak has this sensibility for telling stories that may seem odd to read a synopsis for but pulls you in with his excellent writing skills reminiscent of famous writer F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. There’s this “old school” feel to every project Novak has written, so his directorial debut had my full and undivided attention anytime I heard about it.
By now, you’re” probably wondering what Vengeance is about. In case you’re not familiar with the film, Vengeance is a story about a journalist and podcast who travels from New York City to Texas to investigate the death of a woman he was hooking up with.
From that premise alone, Novak had me hooked. Now that I’ve seen the film, what do I think of Novak’s execution of that premise? It’s a bit hit and miss. I loved the performances in this film, but Novak’s screenplay didn’t hold up.
Making up the main cast are B.J. Novak as Ben Manalowitz, Boyd Holbrook as Ty Shaw, Issa Rae as Eloise, and Ashton Kutcher as Quinton Sellers.
As Novak is doing triple duty on the film as the writer, director, and star, it would be natural to assume that Novak’s performance would be weak or somewhat compromised, but that’s not the case. Instead, Novak is just as great as his co-stars here as he balances between moments of wit and heartfelt appreciation for the journey this investigation takes him on. Not only that, but Novak plays Ben with this sincereness that I felt refreshing. I wish I could say more, but I want you to experience the journey Ben goes through yourself.
Holbrook’s performance as Ty Shaw is twice as enjoyable. Holbrook is a villain in every role I’ve seen him in. Whether it’s as a tattooed guy in Out of the Furnace, Peter Kristo in A Walk Among the Tombstones, Jeff in Gone Girl, Donald Pierce in Logan, Quinn McKenna in the horrific film The Predator, or John McBride in The Cursed. So, to see Holbrook in a role where he’s allowed to have fun as an overall affable guy is such an unexpected breath of fresh air. I expect anyone with a similar experience with Holbrook will walk out of the theater with the impression that he should be given more roles where he’s allowed to show a lighter side of himself. To those people, I have good news! I won’t share the set photos here, but if his look in the fifth Indiana Jones film is anything to go off, I’d expect his lighter side to continue in that role.
On the same note, Kutcher tends to get typecast as the lovable idiot in any role I’ve seen him in after his eight-year run on That ’70s Show tends to be some version of that same role. He’s attempted with films like The Guardian or Jobs, but this is only the third serious role I’ve seen him in the past fifteen years since That ’70s Show went off the air in 2006. Nevertheless, I’m glad to see Kutcher go against type as Quinten Sellers here. Something is enchanting about his performance here that I can’t quite put my finger on, but whatever it is, I hope he keeps doing roles like this to prove he’s not just a lovable airhead and capable of roles that require a bit more nuance to them. I would say more, but I want you to experience his performance yourself.
Rae also surprised me with the energy she brought to the film. I haven’t seen her previous work, such as Insecure, The Hate U Give, The Photograph, or The Lovebirds, so I had zero frame of reference for what she’s like, but she’s used as the moments of fun and narrative thread to the investigation. As further evidence of how great her role is, Rae did something rare for me. Not only did it want me to catch up with the projects I previously mentioned, but I also wanted to research what projects she has outside of film and television. Rae seems like a person who is creative at heart, but has external passions that drive her, so I’d be curious to see what she’s up to.
Now, to the meat & potatoes of my critique of the film: the writing and direction. I won’t go on for too long, so it’s not portrayed as harsh, but it’s immediately apparent that B.J. Novak would be better off stepping out of the director’s chair and away from the writing room. Any nuance in the writing and direction appears to be handwaved entirely away as quickly as its introduced. Likewise, the story tends to wander with each passing minute, becoming a jumbled mess by the beginning of the third act. That said, there are highlights to Novak’s writing and direction. Mainly the scenes revolving around the Shaw family. There’s such a classic feel to these sections that the more we learn about the Shaws, the more we like them. Likewise, the scenes where Ben is crafting his podcast hook into the why of many people’s fascination with true crime. So, while Novak isn’t perfect in the direction and writing of Vengeance, he has his moments of promise.
You might be surprised to learn that while Vengenace is a low-budget film, Finneas O’Connell, AKA Finneas AKA Billie Eilish’s brother, is the composer for the film’s score. If you’re familiar with his work, you know what to expect. If you’re not, expect a ton of synths, kick drums, and subtle piano notes. For the Vengeance soundtrack, he adds some Texas-flavored guitar twang to his repertoire.
Think of an ambient album, and you’re on the right track. Now, the soundtrack wouldn’t be something I’d listen to while working, as the mixing on some of the tracks can become too loud even on 50% volume, but I’d throw it on for more absent-minded tasks like doing the dishes.
As for how well Finneas’ soundtrack works in the film, I only noticed the score at pivotal moments in the story, after which the soundtrack recedes into the background, not unlike how podcast producers will mix music into a true-crime podcast.
In a film so much about the creation of a podcast, you’d think that the sound design would be an absolute priority, but you would be wrong. Several times, while people were talking in a car, I could hear their voices echoing and reverberating throughout the vehicle, and that’s not even counting the actual audio being quite hard to hear sometimes. I’m not sure exactly what’s going on here, but the sound got in the way of me trying to enjoy Vengeance more often than not.
That said, the production design is top-notch. Only once in the film did the film look like a set, but that’s a very brief section of the film. I won’t spoil where they filmed, but I can tell you it wasn’t Texas. It’s tough to get Texas right, but somehow these two teams came together to create a version of Texas that felt familiar but strange at the same time. All the work by the location team, and Courtney Andujar & Hillary Andujar, should be applauded.
Someone who also should be applauded is Rachel Sage Kunin for her costume design. Kunin constantly creates contrasts between characters through how each character is dressed. For example, Ben is usually dressed up in dress shirts, slacks, and nice loafer shoes, while Ty usually wears a tank top under his long sleeve plaid shirt and a belt with a stylized buckle (likely won in a rodeo), tan-colored jeans, and boots. From that short description, you get a mental image of these two characters and their social status and can even start to create a backstory for yourself on either character based on Kunin’s costuming choices. I don’t say this often enough, but bravo.
We are down to the ultimate question: should you spend your hard-earned money on Vengeance? As a limited theatrical release, I would say no. However, when Focus Features decides to release it on Peacock or digital rental, I know plenty of people who had a great time with this film.
★★★
In case you missed it, you can check out my commentary below.
Vengeance is now available in a limited theatrical release, with more theaters added weekly.
Until next time!
Thanks to Thomas Stoneham-Judge from Movies For Reel, Shane Conto, Joseph Davis, David Walters, Ambula Bula, Matthew Simpson, Thom Blackburn, Aaliyah, and Libby Stephenson, for supporting Austin B Media on Patreon!
