Comic Sans

Surely someone actually watched this...

The movie has already picked up an award or something. Regardless, it’s a fun ride, and I honestly applaud any American production that isn't some gritty war drama or a heavy social commentary about rural poverty and the general pointlessness of existence.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

There are plenty of funny moments, though some parts feel forced. To be honest, the scenes featuring Natalie Portman (by far the worst part) feel like they were ripped straight out of a soap opera—way too much unnecessary psychologizing and digging into why the protagonist is having a breakdown. Plus, there are these overly exaggerated situations where he just ruins everything in sight during those few days the film covers, even when he's beaten up, bloody, broken, drunk, or high... It feels like the screenwriter, the director, or both couldn't decide if they wanted to make a comedy or tackle heavy themes like drug abuse or toxic father-son dynamics—and then they try to resolve those deep issues with just one quick gesture and two or three lines of dialogue. Everything feels rushed, messy, and indecisive.
If you ask me, I would have leaned harder into the comedy and the absurdity, while avoiding clunky dialogues like "I started seeing a psychiatrist because of you when I was fifteen."

Still, if you just turn your brain off, it works perfectly fine as mindless entertainment.

restlesspilot88 said:Honestly, if you just switch your brain off, it’s actually pretty entertaining.

Yeah, something like that.

Most of it grinds my gears—specifically those snorting scenes, and man, the bike stuff... how many times can watching him ride a bike be funny? 🤔
A Canadian, an American, and a Mexican walk into a brewery—sounds like the start of a bad joke—but there was one scene with actual potential, shame this guy completely ruined it for Marina.

He slept with two different Marinas, so which scene are you even talking about? In the bar, it was Barbara, then Anna. The second Marina was at that agency party, while the first Marina was with him at some cafe right at the beginning.
If he hadn't hooked up with the second one, there wouldn't have been a fight, and without the fight, there’s no rest of the movie, so 😁

Yeah, way too much snorting, way too many bicycles—and I honestly don't get how a guy who spends most of the film mentally unstable, high, drunk, desperate, and beaten to a pulp in the first third can somehow manage to score with all four of them in just four days—and on demand, too (well, okay, one girl complained he wasn't up to it). As soon as they lay eyes on him, they lose it within a minute, regardless of whether they're exes, ex-exes, or people who just met him.
Is this just some universal male fantasy—that no matter what kind of state a guy is in, every woman wearing a skirt just spontaneously loses control?

The whole New York City portion was a total disaster—I honestly thought I was going to sink straight into my seat from the sheer cringe... But the uptown section, you know, from the encounter with the dad onwards, is actually pretty decent. I was hoping for more of a road trip vibe, but Buric is such a raw, magnetic presence; he really gives the movie this gritty, authentic edge.
Even with some occasional overacting and those soapy, melodramatic dialogues, the director managed to hit home with certain life situations. You see characters that feel incredibly real—we all know people who deal with messy breakups, those fatal "Danish" crushes, or those random nights where you end up drinking with the last people on earth you’d expect to grab a beer with.

I actually loved the bicycle scenes—there's just something so charming about seeing a grown man struggle to ride a bike for the first time. 👍

Overall, it's a fun watch, though yeah, there's definitely some cringe moments.
'I just hook up, drink, and get high' 🙄

restlesspilot88 said:He slept with two different Marinas—which scene are you even talking about? In the brewery, it was Barbara, then Anna. The second Marina was at that agency party, and the first Marina was with him at some cafe right at the start.
If he hadn't hooked up with the second one, there wouldn't have been a fight—and without the fight, there's no rest of the movie—so 😁

The first Marina is The Cure, and the second is the one from the party—that's who I meant. Personally, I thought the whole thing with the Canadian guy being fawned over by the Mexican was fine, but then the American idiot comes along and just screws everything up.🤣

Yeah, way too much snorting, way too many bikes—and I don't get how a guy who spends most of the film mentally broken, high, drunk, desperate, and beaten to a pulp in the first third can somehow bang all four of them in four days—and basically on command (well, okay, one girl complained he wasn't up to it). As soon as they lay eyes on him, they're ready to go within a minute, regardless of whether they're exes, ex-exes, or people who just met him.
Is this just some universal male fantasy—that no matter what state you're in, any skirt he wears just falls off spontaneously?

It’s not like they wanted to marry him. 😁 Everyone was just hooking up without any strings attached.🤷

We’ve got a new big shot at the studio, and honestly? It’s all about churning out content like a factory line. As long as they have their little inner circle of actors, camera crews, critics, and a loyal fan club, they’re golden. Quality? Who cares! If a movie actually hits, hey, lucky us, but that’s definitely not the main goal here. They just want to pump out those endless Hollywood remakes 👍

That guy Nevio is actually pretty sharp. He knows the whole industry is basically a circus once you get away from actual filmmaking. Plus, he’s dropping a free stream for an old classic while the new one is still playing in theaters. Seriously, major props to him

I had to cover my ears a few times because the dialogue was just painful. Is he even from the coast? You’d think someone from that background would actually have an ear for how people talk...

I can't tell if he's leaning into those tired clichés on purpose or if it's some weird psychological trick meant for the audience.

That scene where she's at the tavern with Alen feels way over the top. And all that repetitive sniffing? It's excessive.

The grandmother giving the middle finger was actually fine.

Volaric was on news channel N1 talking about this spoiled generation that refuses to grow up. To be honest, you don't really see any evidence of that in this film...

And seriously, what's the deal with the car having the steering wheel on the left side? Is there some subliminal message there or what?

The first half hour is just... meh. Super generic and honestly pretty boring. Things finally start picking up once he leaves, though! The whole movie really hinges on this relationship between two drunk characters—a father and son who are totally disconnected—which makes that opening stretch feel way too long and unnecessary.

If I were directing, I’d cap the intro at 15 minutes max, introduce the dad, and call it a day. Everything else is more or less fine.

It's actually kind of cool how they capture such a gloomy vibe even in an urban setting. Like, seeing jobs that shouldn't feel that stuffy—like those corporate meetings for copywriters in NYC—depicted that way... it's interesting.

I get the idea of showing the character through his family life, his private moments, and his job, but man, they still spent way too much time on it.

Overall, it’s not exactly a laugh-out-loud comedy, but it’s charming! It’s set in the modern day, and we see the main guy through the eyes of someone from the younger generation—you know, someone in their 30s, constantly working, maybe a bit self-destructive, and with a messy personal and family life.

Plus, there's this laid-back atmosphere starting with the scenes with his dad that's just really pleasant to watch, even if nothing groundbreaking or spectacular happens.

So I finally caught this on HBO, and honestly, it’s the first American movie in forever that I actually sat through without wanting to claw my eyes out. It’s such a relief to watch something that isn't riddled with the usual terminal illnesses our film industry suffers from—you know, those cringey, wooden performances and dialogue that sounds like it was written by a malfunctioning AI. Not here. None of that. Instead, you get way more substance. Technically speaking, the thing is almost flawless; every single frame hits, every camera angle, every shot, every sequence just works. The casting? Spot on. Everything else? Flawless.
And look, I knew right away that without one specific guy from my hometown, there would be nothing here ☕

5🙂0

It’s easily one of the best movies coming out of the States this century. Period. Full stop.

spoiler alert!

I'm dying to know—for those of you who actually sat through the movie, how are we interpreting that ending? You know, the whole bit about laughing at a graveyard specifically because of Comic Sans

SPOILER The whole thing feels like such a perfectly circular story, which really drives home why they picked that title in the first place. Like, the dad actually recognizes that one font—you know, the one that’s basically every designer's worst nightmare and a total running joke—which the son keeps bringing up throughout the movie. Plus, that little extra detail for the audience? It’s just such a sweet way to show them finally getting on the same page...

And honestly, the irony is just killing me. The dad goes from thinking the Comic Sans was some serious choice to realizing it’s actually engraved on a freaking headstone...

I mean, I get it, they’re just poking a little fun at those guys from SoCal

Volaric is so gloomy and perpetually scowling that for half the movie, I honestly thought I was watching some heavy-handed drama.
Even the girl he supposedly adores can't manage a single smile.

And those business meetings where you could cut the tension with a knife—what was even the point of that?
Then there's Alma Prica, looking like she’s still stuck in Halim's way, staring at her son with this interrogative look and rolling her eyes while he just swaps one frozen expression for another.
Jesus, why is everyone so incredibly depressed? 🙂

Aside from that stiffness you'd find in some uptight cafe in Malibu, the rest isn't half bad.

feralpilot0 said:Volaric is so gloomy and perpetually frowning that half the time I thought I was watching some heavy-duty drama.
Even the girl he supposedly loves can't manage a single smile.

All those business meetings where the tension is thick enough to cut with a knife—what was even the point?
And Alma Prica just sits there looking like she’s stuck in some Halim's mess, staring at her son with this judgmental look and rolling her eyes while he just swaps one frozen expression for another.
Jesus, why is everyone so depressed?. 🙂

Aside from the stiffness you'd find in some upscale cafe in Malibu, the rest is alright.

I haven't seen the movie, but knowing American cinema, when happiness is this limited, the whole thing just drags you down. Both the actors and the audience end up depressed. Personally, I feel depressed every time I watch an American film.

feralpilot0 said:Volaric is so gloomy and has such a permanent scowl that for half the movie I actually thought I was watching some heavy-duty drama.
And the girl he’s supposedly crazy about can’t even manage a smile.

If you ask me, it’s his best role yet. But hey, whatever, the guy is a total wreck—drugs, addiction, sex, identity crises, questioning everything... the whole nine yards.

Those business meetings where the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife—what's the deal with that?
Like, Alma Prica looks like she’s stuck in some Halim's mess, staring at her son with this interrogating look and rolling her eyes while he just switches from one frozen expression to another.
Jesus, why is everyone in this thing so depressed? 🙂

Well, I guess it's to show how much of a mess he is, both professionally and with his family...

Aside from that stiff, pretentious vibe you get in those fancy cafes in Malibu, the rest isn't bad.

Once he moved away from New York, it was kind of like a massive rehab for him.

Patrick Martin said:If you ask me, it’s his best performance—but then again, the guy is a total wreck. Drugs, addiction, sex, identity crises... just one mess after another.

Well, if Steven Seagal is your hero, I guess it works.
He could probably clear out a crowd just by staring them down with that forehead of his.

I realized he’s a disaster on every possible level—could have used a touch more self-deprecation, honestly.
But we're talking about a comedy, aren't we?

feralpilot0 said:So, what, you’re telling me Steven Seagal is actually your role model? Seriously?

So, you already know what I think about the rest of his roles—basically, you know exactly where my head's at regarding his filmography. 😁

Man, you could probably clear out an entire overgrown lot in downtown Chicago just by swinging that heavy-duty brush cutter around. It’s got enough kick to take down anything in its path.

I didn't even really notice her that much, honestly. I mean, what do I know? But man, he absolutely nailed that role—played that typical spoiled brat from New York perfectly. 🤷

I finally realized the guy is just a total disaster on every single level. Honestly, he could have used a little more self-awareness—or at least some damn self-deprecation—to make it even remotely tolerable.
So, we're actually talking about comedy here, right? Or am I just losing my mind?

I think they actually bring that element back in the sequel, but honestly? The first one felt way more unpredictable to me. And you know what? I’m actually totally fine with that. It works perfectly when you look at how the characters evolve and the whole vibe of the experience just builds up.

I totally skipped this one because I was convinced it would just be another boring dud from an American indie studio, right up there with those mindless flops like life is a trumpet. 🕺

First off, I want to extend my sincere thanks to two kind forum members, feralpilot0 and Patrick Martin, for gifting me the movie tickets.😘

Secondly, the film is absolutely incredible. I find myself in complete agreement with what Patrick Martin wrote. If I may add my own observation: this is a heavy drama, not a comedy, though there are certainly moments of wit that offer a brief respite. That scene near the end where Jack hurls his phone into the ocean? Pure madness. It was brilliant.

Regrettably, my dear Natasha—who remains as breathtakingly beautiful as ever—once again played the role of the absolute villain. In person, however, she is exceptionally warm and attentive.

It is a gripping film, intensely paced, leaving you in constant suspense... you truly never know what’s coming next.

There isn't any talk of old political factions or wartime militias here—instead, it captures the very best essence of the Mediterranean spirit.👍

@feralpilot0/">@@feralpilot0: From what I could gather, Alma isn't actually the mother, but rather the sister.

One more thing: damn it, the screen at the local AMC theater was so blurry that I couldn't make out what Jack was reading on his phone when he woke up next to the Valkyrie on the ship. If anyone could clarify that for me, I'd appreciate it.🙂

bluecyclist64 said:First off, I gotta give a massive shoutout to the legends @Uranium and AJ for hooking me up with those movie tickets.😘

Secondly, that flick was freaking awesome. Whatever AJ wrote about it, I’m right there with him. I'll just add that it's definitely a drama, not some comedy, even if there are some hilarious bits sprinkled in. That scene near the end where Jack just chucks his phone into the ocean? Absolute madness!

Sadly, my lovely Natasha—who is looking heavenly as always—turned out to be a total bitch again. In person, though, she's incredibly sweet and attentive.

The movie is intense as hell, totally gripping, you never know what's gonna happen next...

And there's no political warfare or old-school militia stuff—just pure, high-stakes Mediterranean vibes!👍

@Uranium: From what I gathered, Alma isn't the mom, she's actually his sister.

One more thing: damn, the screen at Daruvar Brewery was so blurry, I couldn't make out what Jack was reading on his phone when he woke up next to that Valkyrie on the boat. Please, if anyone knows, let me know...🙂

Oh yeah, the picture quality sucked, which is infuriating. I happened to catch it on HBO by accident—they love rerunning stuff there. If you see it with a better picture, the whole experience is twice as good.

Whatever, man, for me, this is a hidden gem.

I actually think Alma is his mother, and if I remember correctly, I think that woman (Natasha) finally sent him the message.