User reviews

I applaud B. J. Novak for creating something that felt authentic to our culture right now. There is a lot to like about this movie. It feels artful and thoughtful. There are some excellent lines in this film that feel raw, poignant, and true.

For some reasons that are hard to articulate, some aspects of this movie did feel a little flat and hallow. Maybe that was the larger point? Perhaps getting a bit meta: "Everything is everything. So nothing means anything." There just times I was expecting to bit hit a little bit harder.

I think if Ashton's character had been utilized more, I would've felt more satisfied. He was the majority of the intrigue for me. He was really good in his moments on screen. Really, really good. And I feel like that could've been played with more, expanded in more ways. He somewhat represented what I thought was "Vengeance"'s takeaway. I would've loved more.

I don't even know how to really explain this film without divulging but suffice to say it's not what you may think. It shows how today's social media society is quick to judge and it shows how wrong or shallow that judgement can be. While each character has varying moments on the film, the entire cast is very, very good with their timely execution of their insightful and sometimes comedic lines. A lot of substance in this film so if you're looking for a little distraction like Thor, DC Pets or Minion, this is not the film. If you want some sound acting and solid characters, Vengeance is worth seeing (along with Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, Where the Crawdads Sings)

This movie was really amusing to me and, I imagine, people who have a similar background.

I grew up in Suburban Texas, just outside of the major city of Dallas. Most all of our extended family lived another 20 miles out in rural towns. I loved visiting them, learning a different way of life, and the tribal isms that help build stereotypes of Texans and the South in general. Even as an adult, when I return from a trip visiting my extended family, my coworkers say I sound like my Texas accent got a boost.

I love Novak's take on coming into a culture that's similar but foreign. The little things that are universal across all Texas, and the things that are unique to small rural towns.

I don't want to give up anything in the review other than to say give it a chance and if you don't like it, bless your heart.

This movie is pretty awesome. It's very funny and filled with laugh-out-loud moments. And these aren't cheap laughs or sophomoric humor (which I don't mind). Most of the comedy is well-written and long-lasting (literally, remembering some parts still makes me laugh).

The dialogue is witty and clever with so many memorable lines. And they discuss and explore topics that really make you think. The premise is interesting and the story is intriguing throughout. And the drama really works.

The characters are unique and I think the entire cast does a great job. I especially want to point out Ashton Kutcher, even with such a small role. I basically have That '70s Show memorized and I used to love Punk'd. But I never thought he was a movie-level actor with any kind of range. This is the first time I've watched a role of his where I didn't see and hear Ashton Kutcher. His performance (and the writing) bring life to his character.

I really enjoyed Vengeance and would watch it again. I think most people will like it. (1 viewing, 8/3/2022)

I will always appreciate and admire a film that is very clearly the singular creative vision of one person.

BJ Novak clearly had some things he wanted to say, and this film often feels like it was his outlet for venting his thoughts about humanity.

There's a lot of philosophical dialogue where characters disclose their feelings about relationships, regret, isolation, morality, etc. It's a film that covers so much thematic ground that I have to praise it for how far it reaches.

The film succeeds in being thought-provoking on so many occasions and the story is surprisingly heartwarming. I think the central idea upon which everything else hinges is that connection is what breeds caring. If you don't care about someone it's because you don't feel connected to them-not necessarily because you're different.

Unfortunately, with ambition also comes a scatterbrained tone in this case. There are so many jarring tonal shifts between comedy, dark drama, and ponderous dialogue. This also makes for a plot that feels all over the place and often directionless.

So many times throughout this story I didn't even really know what the movie was about because the characters' goals kept changing so often.

This is a strange piece of work, but it's a creative and original one. Please go check this out in a theater if you can.

BJ Novak wrote, directed and acted an intriguing story that is funny, suspenseful, sad, and clever. One of the best things is how heartwarming most the characters are! For a movie that's mostly about finding the truth there's a lot of brilliance and fun scenes. I think if I didn't have a regal subscription I probably wouldn't have seen in the theater regardless I'm glad I did Vengeance is very good, I'd still recommend anyone see it and it was nice how some older folks talked to me.

After watching the movie, I was really surprised to see that the movie was not rated more highly by viewers and critics. I think part of the problem with its low rating is that it requires a lot of thinking about society and the way society works, which is very philosophical. That's hard to do, and that knocks out a lot of people, causing their eyes to glaze over in parts of the movie. Hence, a lot of people enjoyed the movie, but the sociology of 2022 in America is not their bag, so the movie got a moderately good rating overall and not a rating of excellent. That's fine. The movie is very insightful as to how society is working in the social media, Trump, Biden, woke age. If you enjoy thinking about these kinds of things, you will absolutely love this movie.

This is also a movie about Texas culture, and it offers good insight on the culture of any place that is desolate, poor, remote, and without much opportunity. The story takes place in a remote area of Texas, and my previous sentence is not a comment on Texas as a whole, although certain Texas cultural elements are certainly shown in the movie. Thus, this movie has good elements that are common in movies about the culture of the economically poor in America. So, if you like movies, like "Wind River," "The Tender Bar," and "Nomadland," you will like this one, as well.

Next, this is a good movie because it displays the importance of individual people as human beings. It argues that people matter.

Lastly , I liked this movie because it shows growth in characters in a meaningful way. You learn something good about life from the movie. The movie makes you think about life, as it points to some important things, which makes it satisfying and worthwhile. Thoughtful movie. Bravo!

I gave it an eight, and struggled to not give it a nine. So, 8.5. Overall, the movie has a sense of loneliness (not a criticism; it intends that), which is the main reason I didn't rate it higher. That's not a criticism of the movie, it's just a reflection of my tolerance level for loneliness!

This is NOT Liam Neeson-style vengeance.

This isn't even an action-revenge movie.

It's a study in characters - of how people act in today's world. How do you spend your "time". It has guns, Whataburger, love, angst, drugs, and a heavy side of introspection. Everything's bigger in Texas, including the stereotypes.

This is not a movie I would've seen if it weren't for the "unlimited movie pass". That said, it's one of the best films I've seen this year, and certainly better than NOPE.

Twists? You bet. Happy ending? Depends on your perspective.

Vengeance? Fun. Definitely fun..

"Vengeance" 2022 is an intelligent, interesting movie that I felt compelled to talk about immediately after it finished. Mind: when I say that "Vengeance" is an intelligent, interesting movie, I am *not* saying that it is pretentious, or that it goes out of its way to be difficult to understand, or that people dressed entirely in black in Manhattan will brag about sitting through it. This is not a movie trying to be intelligent. This is a movie that is intelligent.

"Vengeance" is *not* a chore to watch. I laughed out loud several times, I also had to close my eyes tight during a suspenseful scene, and I cared about Abby, a Texas girl from a very small town who ended up dead. The movie felt so real to me that I wondered throughout if it were based on something that actually happened to the film's writer, director, and star, B. J. Novak.

"Vengeance" includes some plot twists, and it defies genre boundaries, so it's hard to give much information without spoiling it. Abby, a wannabe singer from a small Texas town, dies. Her brother phones Ben, a journalist living in New York City, and invites him to Abby's funeral. Ben travels to Texas and realizes he is in a world very different from the one he inhabits in Manhattan. He decides to produce a podcast entitled "Dead White Girl." His topics and themes will include the big divides in America and the opioid crisis. And much more than that, I can't say.

Again, I laughed out loud several times in this movie. The humor is so deadpan and dry I think viewers not paying attention might not get it. I also cared about how the movie presented the cultural divide between Ben and Abby's family.

The opening scene is two guys talking about their sex lives, which consist of casual hook-ups with no commitment. Novak has said that much of it was improvised, and there is a 17 minute version he will release eventually. Novak's interlocutor is John Mayer, a musician known for having had lots of hook ups. I walked into the theater not knowing much about BJ Novak and knowing nothing about John Mayer and I was able to enjoy this scene.

Ashton Kutcher, as Quentin Sellers - note the last name - a music producer in Marfa, Texas, gives a performance I would sit through the entire movie again to watch. Kutcher is mesmerizing. He gives not one but two speeches I really need to hear again. One is about sound; the other is about ... well just go watch the movie.

Issa Rae, a very beautiful woman, plays the part of Ben's producer. Her role and her performance are weak spots in the movie. She doesn't come across as a hardnosed, demanding, producer/editor. She comes across as the sweet and bubbly, eager to please lead in a romantic comedy, which she may play someday. Ben phones her from Texas; she listens to his recordings. The Academy now requires movies to include a certain percentage of non-white performers to be considered for awards. It's possible Issa Rae is in the film for that reason. That's unfortunate. Her role could have been more sharply written, so that she wasn't just the token non-white woman in the film.

Terry Gross, host of the NPR show "Fresh Air," provides a cameo voice.

Wow. I did not expect to be so impressed by this heartland-whodunit-comedy.

The writing is top-notch, albeit a little too polished in parts. The examinations of the legacies we leave behind and the urge to commodify or gain notoriety off the backs of others' grief and trauma were really well explored.

I also wasn't expecting the found family themes to be so well portrayed and for Ashton Kutcher to steal every scene he occupied.

A breezy watch at a tight sub-two-hour runtime. It might be in my top 5 for the year-top 10 for sure. Will definitely watch it again before it leaves theaters.

I wasn't really feeling it at first. Everyone was a cliche, not exactly interesting or original characters that had anything fresh to say... Kind of generic, even a bit boring.

But by the time I was halfway through the movie I was super invested. Characters grew and evolved, became more fleshed out. The dialogue went on to become clever and extremely philosophical, even.

Not only that, but I felt things I didn't think a modern movie would ever made me feel ever again, considering the situation we're in as a society right now.

Heartwarming? Wholesome? Who knew this movie would be like this. I sure didn't. But I'm so glad I stuck around.

Best 2022 movie by far. What a gem.

This is the "murder mystery" movie that deserved all the attention garbage like Glass Onion got. It's also the "family comedy" that deserved all the attention of every theoretical "comedy" movie that came out in recent years - all mostly vapid garbage.

If anything, this movie's fairly low (in my opinion) rating and undeservingly low popularity proves we're lost as a species, and there's no hope. If something this good gets swept under the rug, while every generic, mind-numbingly stupid Disney / Marvel / Star Wars reboot or remake or show gets all the views.

If I have to complain and take a point - it'll be for the predictable forced drama in the third half. Every formulaic show does this, there's always a moment near the end where the main cast has to have a fight, then reunite, and it feels forced, and in the case of an otherwise original and fresh movie - it felt highly unnecessary. And disappointingly predictable. Nothing else about this movie was that predictable, so my standards were higher for the ending. But I won't spoil it for you.

Oh, and the ending was garbage. Another 3 points for building all that up, all that originality, and ending on cringe. But again... I assume the normies will actually like it, and that was the point...

I don't know, I guess it's mixed feelings after all.

This satire starts out with extreme comedy and then goes to a deep, dark and real place. The writing was really, really good. I do wish it was funnier throughout as most of the laughs are in the first half.

There's more than one moment that isn't predictable, and I just couldn't see it coming. Even if I watched it again. Just when you think it's all fun and games the movie hits you with a reality check reminder that does kinda feel like a punch to the gut.

Novak does a great job with his character and storytelling. I may have to revisit this one, but I totally recommend it. It's an interesting take on American culture that everyone should experience.

Just got done watching it. There are moments that the movie wants to make us think are deep and thought-provoking but are not. That is not to say that there is still not a smaller degree to which it is thoughtful. Ultimately, there is a feeling of disorganization and no consistent theme on what all this is about.

Some actions seem unnatural and inconsistent to the main character (and to a lesser degree for some other characters), including action/s taken at the end of the movie. I won't say more about that because I don't want to include spoilers. And about the ending, yes, it is slightly surprising which is a plus. But it's not some brilliant idea. I was hoping for some bigger truth.

Other than that, there is comedy, but if you watch the trailer, you've already seen the vast majority of it. It's not the worst comedy, but definitely not something that stands out. And to be fair, that's not it's selling point. The selling point is supposed to be the search for some bigger truth and there the movie leaves more to be desired.

BJ Novak makes an excellent directorial debut with this perfectly timed dramedy.

The film is such a great commentary on the world today, and as a Texan, I certainly appreciated the "Waterburger" love and attention.

"I don't live in a Liam Neeson movie" is just an example of the many jokes with twists in the world of B. J. Novak. "Vengeance" is his latest foray into dark comedy, using a backdrop of mystery and satire to offer us up some social commentary, 100%! We get very funny moments, mostly from the interactions among the family members. It is so refreshing to see J. Smith-Cameron play a role far removed from her CEO highness in "Succession." The sisters are a hoot, played by relative unknowns Dove Cameron and Isabella Amara who I hope will get more exposure after this movie. And Issa Rae delivers competently as always; she is funny while exuding confidence and elegance. B. J. Novak nails some witty writing and directing once again. He has interesting insights to share on the dystopian state of our world today. Unfortunately it becomes a bit preachy in one part of the movie, exhibiting his political leanings thereby potentially alienating some viewers.

It's a current-day mystery with ironic and humorous edges set in rural West Texas. It follows an elitist writer/podcaster from the New Yorker magazine who looks into the overdose death of a woman he hooked up with a few times.

Ben Manalowitz (B. J. Novak) is A New Yorker writer and aspiring podcaster who lives the life of hooking up at bars multiple times a week and engages in empty intellectual banter with friends. One night he gets a distraught call from Ty Shaw (Boyd Holbrook) from West Texas, saying that his girlfriend, Abilene (Lio Tipton), has died. Ben remembers hooking up with her a few times and finally agrees to come to her funeral since the family believes it was a close relationship.

The film follows his interaction with the family when he learns they all believe that Abilene's overdose death was not accidental. Ben stays with the family, feeling the family seeks a kind of vengeance by believing in a murder myth. We meet the Shaw family, which includes Ty's two remaining sisters, a younger brother, Mother Sharon (J. Smith-Cameron), and Granny (Louanne Stephens). Initially, he writes them off as rural rubes but comes to understand things are more complex than he first imagined. He also meets a music producer, Quinten Sellers (Ashton Kutcher), who spouts theories on life's meaning that intrigue Ben.

Ben interviews the drug dealer, the family suspects, and the four law enforcement agencies that had jurisdiction in where Abilene's body was found. A couple of abrupt plot twists at the movie's end influence the podcast, Ben's self-understanding, and shift the film's concept of vengeance.

I was very taken by the film. The characters that initially seem one-dimensional become more complex as the story unfolds. I didn't see the ending coming. B. J. Novak was excellent as the smug Eastern snob who learns a lot about himself. I thought there were some false notes with Ashton Kutcher's character, but overall I thought the storyline worked.

I am not sure why I picked it. Maybe because of Ryan from the The Office. Its written, directed and executive produced by the same guy.

But man, I have to admit I was really surprised. I loved it.

Its more philosophical than a light comedy and I loved the philosophical tones. And somehow a majority of verbalizing it landed in Ashton Kutcher's lap and he did a fantastic of job there.

A must watch for people who are looking for some meaning in a flick. You are going to love it. It was overall a light hearted and average paced movie with some amazing insights of our present culture.

Very well "translation" done here (people who did not watch the movie, replace translation with writing)

I thought this was way better than expected. At first it was going to be aow hanging fruit comedy and just shoot out Texas stereo types left and right. But I was wrong, although they do use stereo types it is used in a funny way and not a rude way. It has a compelling story that got a lot more serious than I expected and was done perfectly. I think the messaging was nice and thought out which was something I was not thinking it would be as well. I would say this film is a lot of things. It is sweet on one end, it has sad scenes that really move the film, and the film has comedy that works on multiple fronts. Overall, Vengeance is a really good film that is definitely one of the most underrated movies of the year.

When "Ben Manalowitz" (auteur B J Novak) gets a phone call, he leaves his New York home to travel to a remote desert community to find out what happened to a girl he had once hooked up with. Upon arrival he realises that this could be the subject for a serious podcast and so sets out to find her killer - at the behest of her brother "Ty" (Boyd Holbrook) - and simultaneously to offer an analysis of just how these folks live their lives - such a contrast to the style of fast-paced urban dwelling he is used to, and manna from heaven to his producer "Eloise" (Issa Rae). The storyline itself is rather procedural, but there is a decent degree of humour in this film - especially starting with the man-to-man chat at the top of the film which shows neither in a particularly good light. Thereafter some sparingly entertaining contributions from Ashton Kutcher help ginger this along in a sort of film noir style. The quirkiness of the townsfolk's real existence - centred largely around a burger bar; the characterful personalities and an equally effective score from Finneas O'Connell all help to generate a decently paced and quite compelling mystery that I found myself drawn into more than I was expecting. Novak isn't a great actor, but the writing - ultimately offering us an opportunity to evaluate his character and his flaws as much as of anyone else; the developing scenarios and the whole sense of mischief here do most of the heavy lifting allowing us to enjoy the concept without necessarily having to appreciate the acting scene by scene. I really did rather like the ending too.

It's still a small picture--by that I mean it isn't about Thor or Capt America or Fast and Furious #212, etc. It's about dialogue and wit and characters and fish-out-of-water and smashed expectations.

Novak wrote, acted, starred--impressive. Ashton Kutcher was amazing. It was fun to see Issa Rae again. The rest of the cast was consistently funny, thoughtful, dare I say--profound?

Two caveats: the ending was sudden, unexpected (in a good way) but a character acted OUT of character (NOT in a good way).

And...a pivotal TXT conversation wasn't on screen long enough (or I was sitting too far back in the theatre for my aging eyesight ) to catch important details that led to the climax. This is when I love streaming--I can stop the film, read the screen as long as I like, then continue the film.

The Chekhov conversation was brilliant!