Marmalade

If the movie seems familiar at first glance, the effect is intentional. Fledgling director Keir O'Donnell sets out to catch the audience by surprise, and succeeds more often than he fails. Just when you think the story is going somewhere, it zigs when it should zag. The result is actual honest-to-God entertainment, something most movies today seem to have overlooked. Camila Morrone is a find, rocking her role like a deranged Claire Danes, and the camera loves her. The audience will too. Hodge is one of those rare actors who literally cannot give a bad performance, and he holds up his end of the "deal," even with limited screen time. Recommended. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

It was definitely refreshing and amazing to have watched this sort of a movie nowadays when we get scarcity of thrilling and unexpected comedies. The plot was outstanding because it was flexible open to interpretation and easy to manipulate like what the director and writer just did. The protagonist's performance was so smart and clever die to his ability to portray such complex character that initially seemed innocent and unsuspecting to someone more sinister and clever. The scenes were also intelligently edited because there were no plotholes and the twist was satisfying in the end. The whole anagram thing was a bit corny though.

This one was definitely a fun watch from start to finish. I really don't get surprised by movies very often, however I genuinely thrown off the trail of the true tale of the film, and every time I thought I had it figured out I'd be proven wrong.

It draws a lot of inspiration from a few very famous films, and gives you a few blatant tropes that at first make you roll your eyes a bit, but it all feels so deliberately just enough to make you confident in how wrong you are about the plot.

I am looking forward to watching this one again, for sure. All of the acting is fabulous, better than it might seem at first glance. It's a deceptively fabulous film. Don't judge this one on the surface alone, it's a great ride.

Was not sure what to expect going into this as I'd never heard of "Marmalade" before. From the get go, it seemed to have a lot of charm and you knew there definitely laughs to be had. Joe Keery plays "Baron" a dimwitted bank robber who finds himself locked up alongside "Otis" played by Aldis Hodge. The pair strike up a friendship and immediately hatch a plan to escape, with Baron promising Otis a cut of his stashed cash. Not before Baron decides to tell his new buddy of his wonderful Bonnie & Clyde romance with " Marmalade"...

Nice wee indie film and easily worth an hour and a half of your time. Funny, heartfelt, with a few twists and turns capped off with some great performances.

Recommend!

I thought this movie was absolutely terrific. It was fun, interesting, and refreshing, and any doubts or qualms I had with it in the beginning were resolved by the end.

In fact, a little ways into it I thought I had guessed then ending, and thought "wow, what a neat little concept." By the end, it had taken what I thought would happen and added a few twists, and really left me pleasantly surprised. I've seen plot progression similar to this before, but this really stuck the landing and left me wanting more (in a good way).

Some of the performances and character decisions do feel a little off in the beginning, but this makes sense at a certain point and becomes part of the charm.

As a directorial debut and possibly best performance yet by the rising Joe Keery, I have to go with a 10/10 for this one. I can't think of anything that would have enhanced it, and it all wrapped up in a satisfying, if not 100% original, way.

By the way, I only knew about this film because I follow Justin Long (apparently a friend of the director) on Instagram. Really curious as to how this gem slipped by with minimal promotion or recognition.