Splitsville (2025)★ 6.2/10

I was stressed about something when I watched this and it didn’t help cheer me up so I might have to revisit this later

Comedies have become few and far between these days, whether it’s because they’re too worried of offending someone, or because of studios moving away from mid-sized movies in favor of low-risk high-reward ones. We’ve been fortunate enough to recently get the hilarious updated NAKED GUN this year. We now have SPLITSVILLE, a modern-day sophisticated screwball comedy about how messy relationships can get. It begins with Carey (Kyle Marvin) and Ashley (Adria Arjona) driving to see their friends Paul (Michael Angelo Covino) and Lucy (Dakota Johnson). Ashley tells Carey she wants a divorce. Carey gets out of the car and literally runs to Paul and Lucy’s house. Carey finds out that Paul and Lucy have an open marriage. Carey and Lucy do the deed, but Paul gets mad. Despite the trailer saying so, this is not the “funniest movies of the year”. First, comedy is subjective. Second, my funniest movie of the year is NAKED GUN. Saying that, this does have of the funniest fight scenes I’ve seen in a very long time. All four characters are relatable but flawed. Arjona has such great comedic timing. Johnson has such an understated acting style that really works here. Marvin and Covino co-wrote this, while Covino directed. I appreciate how they explore the complexities of relationships without necessarily endorsing any particular approach. Any relationship structure, traditional or progressive, can become a performance designed to avoid the fundamental challenge of intimacy, the willingness to be genuinely known, and to know another person, with all the vulnerability and responsibility that entails. This also has quite a lot of slapstick comedy. It shows us how emotionally immature people deal with jealousy and betrayal. For a relatively low-budget film, it has great camera work. Nicholas Braun has a hilarious cameo. There’s some nudity and a bit of swearing. This movie’s script might feel like a mess, but I believe that’s on purpose. SPLITSVILLE is not only entertaining and funny, but it also deserves to be recognized as a cultural diagnosis of society and relationships. Remember, if you make a good enough screenplay like these guys did, you too can let it all hang out with two gorgeous actresses.

good

Michael Angelo Covino necesita salir del armario.

'Splitsville' es una película de comedia anti-romántica, que va complicándose a medida que avanza, y también sorteando una situación más ridícula que la anterior. Muy bien Dakota Johnson y Adria Arjona, destaca también Michael Angelo Covino, pero lo que hace Kyle Marvin aquí es impresionante. Gran protagonista. Esta película es graciosísima, pero tiene sentido, también cierta profundidad, al explorar temas modernos relativos al amor, como el poliamor y sus consecuencias. Sin embargo, se siente como una de las comedias clásicas de principios de siglo, al explotar al máximo sus buenos elementos visuales y mantener un movimiento de cámara veloz y versátil. Además, grandes transiciones, secuencias y una muy buena escena de pelea. Covino destaca también con una excelente dirección, al nivel de este género.