January 2, 2016

Blu-ray Review: Gravy (2015)

"Gravy is the 7th best Horror Comedy of 2015. Maybe 8th."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2822578/
*There were a handful of movies in 2015 that we wanted to review, but didn't get to, so we're just going to go ahead and give them the Quick Review treatment now. We'll keep it short and sweet.

Gravy reminded us a lot of Would You Rather? or Cheap Thrills in its mechanics. Unlike those two, this one is played primarily for laughs, but that same sort of wickedly fun "playing a deadly game" with a room full of people vibe was definitely present here.

Maybe they'd all make for a fun triple feature or something. 
On Halloween night, a clown, Robin Hood, and a slutty Catwoman take the patrons of a Mexican Cantina hostage, because they're hungry; not for Mexican food, but for human flesh! That's right, the costumed friends are cannibals, and every year they head out to do their own twisted brand of trick 'r treating, which involves eating people, and a lot of pop culture references for some reason.

THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON IN THIS PICTURE, THAT I'M NOT EVEN SURE WHERE TO START.
With no means of escape, the hostages are forced to play a series of odd games to keep from being eaten. Being that the cannibal crew are basically idiots, they quickly lose control of the situation, and it's not long before everything turns into bloody, wacky mayhem.

That's about it, plot-wise.

THERE ARE EASIER WAYS TO EAT AN APPLE, YOU KNOW.
A fairly decent effort, Gravy was a pretty entertaining watch. It's funny (at times), bloody (especially towards the end), and it had a really fun vibe about it. It's the kind of movie that seems like it was fun to make, for all involved.

The cast is mostly made up of lesser-known, B-grade actors (the most recognizable being Gabourey Sidibe and Sarah Silverman, if that tells you anything), all of whom do a solid job with their roles. As thin as the story is, and as uneventful as the movie was in the second act, it was the cast who livened things up and kept us interested in seeing it through. It was a great ensemble.

Fun Fact: For a minute there, I actually thought that Michael Weston was Charlie Day. Turns out they're pretty similar.

THE NUDE SCENE THAT NEVER WAS...
The movie starts off strong, with an almost sweet scene between Sarah Silverman and Michael Weston's characters, and it ends with some crazy bloody action, but the middle lags a bit, getting more caught up in the comedy aspects of the story, than the Horror. Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it could have used a bit less talking, and a bit more action in the middle third.

It also felt like there was really no overall point to the movie, which didn't help things much either.

AWKWARDLY SWEET.
Gravy is a fun Horror Comedy that works because it goes for broke, and its cast is committed to getting it there. It's not the funniest Horror Comedy that was released in 2015, and it does kind of stagnate and drag in parts, but overall, it was a fun watch.

It's probably worth a rent for most people. 

C+

Gravy is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD.

http://amzn.to/1OQOr4v

The lovely ladies of Gravy.

3 comments :

  1. Shocked you didn't mention that this was directed by James Roday, aka Shaun Spencer from the tv show Psych. In fact he, Dule Hill and even one of the main killers were on Psych. If you liked Psych and its humor, you will feel it here, with its 80s infused soundtrack and dialogue.

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  2. I have honstly never watched Psych, so I left that bit out. I could definitely feel that USA TV Show vibe throughout, though.

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    1. Wow, you have never seen Psych? Jmes Roday was born around the time I was and Psych was like an homage at times to the 80s and 90s, with music and actors from those eras. They did a great Twin Peaks spoof with many of those actors in season 5 called Dual Spires. They also did a Friday the 13th homage. Check them out on Netflix.

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