Vengeance
Vengeance
Months after a few one night stands, New York City writer Ben finds out a girl he barely knows has died. He's talked into flying to the middle of nowhere in Texas for her funeral where her brother vows to find out who killed her... and seek vengeance.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 7, 2025
A funny and engaging murder mystery that takes a biting look at the American cultural divide. B.J. Novak stars as Ben, a burgeoning writer in New York who finds out that a girl that he hooked up with a few times, Abilene, has tragically died. Abilene’s family in Texas had been led to believe that Ben and Abilene’s relationship was much more serious than it actually was and Ben is guilted into attending her funeral in Texas. So he flies down…..and culture clash ensues.
In addition to starring, Novak is making his feature length debut in directing, writing, and producing. While Novak as a creative force is impressive, Boyd Holbrook nearly steals the show as Abilene’s grieving brother Ty who is convinced his sister was murdered. Also featured is Ashton Kutcher as a wisdom-imparting-guru-slash-enigmatic-music-producer which sounds kind of ridiculous, because it is. However, Kutcher honestly turns in one of the best performances I’ve seen from him, ever. Issa Rae can do no wrong and while she is featured prominently, her role is almost entirely on the phone as Ben’s podcast producer in New York. (It kind of reminded me of how The Rock “stars” in Ballers, yet 90% of his scenes are just singles of him on the phone in his car.) The entire supporting cast was really likable as well. Dove Cameron, J Smith-Cameron and even John Mayer playing a sent up version of himself (or possibly a toned down version?) was good for quite a few laughs in the opening.
Obviously, the subject matter inherently requires the humor and the underlying themes to balance on a razor’s edge. Though, I do think it teeters over that edge in both directions a couple times, it’s easily forgiven for it’s empathic heart. After all, Heart sees heart.