Writer: Dan Gregor, Doug Mand (Screenplay)
Starring: Adam Pally, Rachel Bloom, Vincent Kartheiser, John Reynolds, Doug Mand, Didi Conn
Plot: A home for the holidays murder-mystery comedy – former high-school hero Billy (Adam Pally) comes back to his hometown expecting things to be like they used to. Instead, he finds all his friends have moved on, and his ex (Rachel Bloom) is dating the former high school outcast (Vincent Kartheiser). So, Billy becomes obsessed with proving the outcast is actually the killer behind a mysterious local death. It’s like Rear Window – for stoners.
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Flat Comedy
Story: Most Likely to Murder starts when Billy Green (Pally) returns home after time in Vegas where work hasn’t gone the way he had hoped, with him looking to come back to his old lifestyle in his small town, where he finds his old-flame married, his high school crush Kara (Bloom) no longer as childish as him and now dating his neighbor Lowell (Kartheiser).
When Billy is drunk, he believes he witnesses Lowell, murder his mother and decides to go in search of answers to prove the man his love is with, it a dangerous man, while the rest of the neighbourhood has great respect for Lowell.
Thoughts on Most Likely to Murder
Characters – Billy is a slacker in life, he had big dreams, but he never took his life seriously and has returned to find everyone he grew up with moved on with their lives, after a night of too many drinks, he believes he has solved a murder, only for this to be the reason why more people turn on him. Kara is the old flame of Billy’s from high school, she has started dating Lowell and does see the good in his behavior around the town. Lowell is someone that Billy used to pick on through high school, he has built himself a reputation of being a nice guy around town now though, even if he does become the target of Billy’s investigation.
Performances – Adam Pally does make his character as unlikeable as he could be, which is part of the point of his character. Rachel Bloom and Vincent Kartheiser fill the supporting role well through the film.
Story – The story here follows a slacker as he returns home, he finds everybody moving on with life, while he is trying to solve a potential murder, only to see more of the town turn on him, as he looks for the truth. This is a movie about trying to relive childhood memories and needing to learn to take life more seriously if you ever want to get the most out of it. We do get the message about not messing with other people’s lives too.
Comedy – The comedy in the film is not the strongest part, with most jokes not working to the highest level.
Settings – The film uses a small town, which is designed to help bring back memory lane.
Scene of the Movie – The truth.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Billy isn’t likeable in anyway.
Final Thoughts – This is a comedy that misses on the comedy more often than it hits, with a story that is trying to play into the Rear Window and misses that idea with a twist.
Overall: Comedy without a punch.