On the Count of Three

Depressed blue collar worker Val (Jerrod Carmichael) stuck in a dead end job and recently ended relationship visits his lifelong mentally troubled friend Kevin (Christopher Abbott) who's currently in a psychiatric holding facility after having recently attempted suicide. Val breaks Kevin out of the facility where the two agree on a joint suicide pact after taking one final day to close the books on their unfinished business.

On the Count of Three is the directorial debut for comedian Jerrod Carmichael who directs from a script by Carmichael Show alum Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch who's behind the Hulu series Ramy with Katcher. As seen in The Carmichael Show, Jerrod Carmichael is no stranger to approaching taboo or controversial topics in ways that are both humorous as well as brutally honest and while On the Count of Three isn't laugh out loud funny, it's a darkly humorous and enjoyably uncomfortable sit that tackles its broken characters with Carmichael's trademark frankness.

From the cold open that shows Val and Kevin pointing guns at each other counting up to three, the movie makes no secret of dark undercurrent of this story. From its jaunty soundtrack juxtaposed against depressing and grim imagery, the movie sets itself up as a quirky buddy comedy in its first scenes but as the film goes along it inches closer and closer to a darker and more twisted character piece that punishes its audience for identifying with Val and Kevin and pointing out how dysfunctional and unhealthy these two truly are. The movie tackles issues related to treatment of mental illness, gun control, racism, and abuse of all kinds (even sexual/child molestation) with Jerrod using Katcher and Welch's screenplay framing it as an actually discussion rather than laying it out for the audience and spoonfeeding it to the audience. On the Count of Three moves at a brisk pace at about 77 minutes not including credits, but Carmichael uses that pacing to excellent effect and you feel you get to know these characters warts and all.

I really liked this movie. It's a promising directorial effort for Jerrod Carmichael, features strong work from Carmichael and Christopher Abbott, and is unapologetic in its approach to taboo and charged subject matter. If On the Count of Three is any indication, Jerrod Carmichael may have a solid future directing other films.

It's a solid debut.

A role made for Christopher Abbott, I love seeing him in films of this genre, it's totally fitting his look/behaviour.... it almost feels like he's not even acting, it's very genuine.

Looking forward to watching the director's next one!

With the cast for this movie, I was expecting more comedy than drama. I was surprised that I got the opposite. This movie touches on mental health, society as a whole, the challenges in life, trauma, friendship and more. This film is gripping and you really beignets invested in both characters. The film was the perfect length too. Worths. Watch.

This was a great directorial debut by actor/lead in this film, Jerrod Carmichael. However the two writers, Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch, missed an opportunity to create something great with this concept, but instead it was just good. Don't get me wrong, it was a very good idea that was perfectly cast and performed, with an amazing soundtrack and score, but the writing was missing the cohesion and balance it needed to be great. The humor in this dark comedy mostly hits the mark, but felt restrictive with not enough laughs. It also lacked emotional depth and narrative structure, and the subject matter felt too skimmed over to have much of an impact. Still, a decent one-time watch.

I had the awards pass so in total I saw 7 films and with respect to CODA this was my top pick of the year.

Go ahead and try to explain the plot to someone and make yourself sound sane. A comedy about a man (Carmichael) finds out his best friend (Abbott) tried to kill himself 3 days prior and now wants them both to end their own lives. The subtlety in Camichael's performance is absolutely fantastic. When watching the film just take note of his level of emotion he is showing in each scene and how it changes as the film moves on. It is most interesting when he isn't talking. It is expertly done by someone known for just comedy. Abbott also shines as the damaged and crazed friend with 1999 Justin Timberlake hair who is dangerous one minute and sweet the next. The comedy lands throughout the film and this is because the film trusts it's audience to understand what is satire and what isn't. Their is no crowd-pleasing apology scene for its subject matter. No monologues about what we learned today. The film knows what it is and it's done well. I watched it with someone who was personally affected by suicide and he thought it was handled well. However if you're easily triggered this is not the film for you... and that is okay. Overall some production design could mildly improve it does look cheap at times but this was a fantastic film with great performances and the award winning script at Sundance. Don't miss it!