Director: Ike Barinholtz
Writer: Ike Barinholtz (Screenplay)
Starring: Ike Barinholtz, Tiffany Haddish, Nora Dunn, Chris Ellis, Jon Barinholtz, Meredith Hagner
Plot: In a politically divided America, a man struggles to make it through the Thanksgiving holiday without destroying his family.
Tagline – Nothing is More American Than Family Drama
Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Oath starts when America is bringing in a new document to make the resident sign, Chris (Barinholtz) refuses to sign it, believing it will take away his civil rights, 10 months later on Thanksgiving that deal is meant to be going through.
Chris still not signing it sees the protests leading to bloodshed and with his family coming to his home for thanksgiving, the weekend goes in an unexpected direction of arguments, politics and beliefs.
Thoughts on The Oath
Thoughts – The Oath does surround the idea of how the new political methods could bring tear a family apart, showing how things can spiral out of control all through a thanksgiving weekend. This isn’t the most interesting story, it could easily have been smart enough to put a bigger light on the political changes being bought on people, while see how the family dynamic can have deeper conflict. The performances are solid enough in the film, despite the weak script, the actors do make the most of what they have. Some of the characters don’t seem to get enough on the bigger scheme of what is going on, which will leave us wanting more, as we definitely don’t get enough from what we see.
Final Thoughts – The Oath is a comedy that wants to be so much more only to fall short on the bigger meaning to the film.
