Greener Grass

I never expected any movie to be this blatantly weird, but here it is. This black comedy from Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe (neither of whom I had ever heard of before now) shows all sorts of tensions arising in a gaudy suburban neighborhood. And by gaudy I mean that their clothes are an assault on the senses. There's bound to be something that'll go awry.

Whether you interpret "Greener Grass" as a parody of suburban gothic (the genre that includes "The Ice Storm" and "American Beauty") or a straightforward, unabashedly bizarre comedy, it's one to enjoy. I'm surprised that they were able to get funding, given the oddball, less-than-profitable nature of the story.

The only cast members whom I recognized were SNL cast members Beck Bennett and John Milhiser, as well as D'Arcy Carden (Janet on "The Good Place").

The production values and aesthetic in the first half of this film are just great. But beyond that it is simply incoherent overall and when barely coherent it is more a smattering of tropes than anything interesting.

This comedy is eye catching because of the super colourful pastel colour scheme. The people and the community look so perfect. What happens though, is super weird in a funny and refreshing way. If this film was done any different, it would have been a horror film!

Actors, writers and directors Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe collaborated with this black comedy set in suburbia where adults has peculiar habits and wear braces over their straight teeth.

During a recent Q/A session, DeBoer and Luebbe explained that the story came from their short film, "Greener Grass" and worked on a low budget. They said that films of David Lynch, John Waters and 1960s and 1970s landscape photography was an influence.

Visually the film is reminiscent of 1980s fashion aesthetics and seems like an infomercials from the 1990s. Both actors initially met in New York with the comedy team, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

Greener grass was made by two women having fun. It's whimsical, colorful and surreal. The absurdity has a lot of coherence inside the film's universe, and it will keep you laughing. It reads like kids on LSD playing with barbies, and having a mid life crisis. The directors are a dynamic duo well coordinated on and off screen. However it kind of feels it would be better fitted for a series of short skits. it felt like watching a 1h45m long SNL or Portlandia sketch.

Laugh, don't overthink it (or maybe do?).