Comedy and horror go hand in hand in sketch group Simple Town’s debut feature, “Big break“. The ironically titled film found its way into Fantasy Festival where its audience was the very first in the world to witness its unveiling.
The members of the cult New York comedy group “Simple Town” have disbanded. Years later, Sam (Samuel Lanier; “Blood Barn” (2025)), the most successful member of the post-group thanks to his film “The Gummy Bears” being a huge success, invites his ex-friends and former colleagues Felipe (Felipe Di Poi; also in “Blood Barn”), Caro (Caroline Yost; “The Gene Pool” (2025)) and Will (Will Neidmann; TV series “Off the Air”) to his place isolated. manor for a weekend of reunion between alcohol and pleasure. The three confused friends agree to go anyway, hoping that each gets a role in Sam’s sequel to Sam’s blockbuster hit. Just hours after arriving at the luxurious residence, dark twists and turns turn the meeting and acting introductions into a bloody (literally!) hilarious mess that will change them forever!
Big break
Ian Faria, who has collaborated on the group’s sketches several times, also makes the jump behind the big screen for his first feature film, mastering the unholy marriage of the thriller and comedy worlds. The screenplay, written by actor Samuel Lanier himself, recalls an underlying plot of a similar film premiering at Fantasia in 2025, but which will remain secret so as not to spoil anything. That being said, “Big Break” takes a different path in the latter part of the film, fortunately separating its denouement from that other mysterious title. The dialogue throughout the film becomes increasingly valuable as the story progresses, along with conversational misunderstandings that amplify the hilarity. The more the film progresses, the funnier the plot unfolds. When it comes to the film’s strong points, once a major secret is revealed that the audience might think was the climax of the plot, things continue to escalate in the most comical and surprising ways, until the very last scene.
The actors have undeniable on-screen chemistry. Of course, after working together for nearly a decade, through online videos, live stage shows, and TV sketches, their natural chemistry blossomed and culminated in their literal “big break” on the big screen. Di Poi, Yost and Neidmann definitely understand their characters’ intentions; characters that will undoubtedly draw viewers in, as each of them becomes less and less subtle in their attempts to convince, influence, and seduce Sam into casting them in his next film (Caro pretty much lives in his car, at this point). If each member of the group has had cinematic or television experiences here and there, this first cinematographic collaboration definitely hits the mark on a humorous level. Perhaps future film projects together could evolve into a Broken Lizard-like trend? Who knows.
That being said, “Big Break” has a rather stock soundtrack like that heard in countless thrillers before, adding nothing memorable or original to the experience. Fortunately, the entertainment factor of Simple Town’s on-screen presence more than makes up for it. In addition to the stereotypical music, Ian Faria’s film could have used more extreme violence, accidental or not, to amplify the shock of events. Some graphic gore and domino effect deaths in the style of “Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil” could have created legendary visual memories for audiences. Perhaps budget restrictions were a challenge; perhaps this was not the direction the filmmaker wanted to take.
One of the funniest thrillers of Fantasia’s 30th The edition has just premiered and hopefully it will be available to more audiences, whether in movie theaters in general or on VOD. « » by Ian FariaBig break» receives a score of 3.75 eyes out of 5.
For more horror comedy, check out our review of “Hold the Fort.”
