I Don't Understand You

I wanted to like this movie because of the actors but I just found it cringe, detached, and disrespectful. The overarching theme here is that entitled white gay Americans travel to a foreign country (Italy) where they have no real grasp of the native language of the country they chose to visit. Through their own ignorance, they misinterpret nearly every single gesture of kindness that every native they encounter shows them and somehow that kind and endearing person ends up dead due to their clumsiness or paranoia. They mistake every Italian statement as something homophobic, or violent, or threatening and therefore make themselves victims that must defend themselves. I get it was going for the whole "Dale & Tucker vs. Evil" concept but it failed miserably.

I didn't laugh one time. I expected a lot more from Andrew Rannells. I'm obsessed with him as Elijah in Girls, but even he can't save this. He and Nick Kroll had no chemistry. There weren't many actual jokes, just murder for some reason? A horror comedy that is neither horror nor comedy. I'm so mad I paid ten dollars to rent this. Even if it was free to stream I'd say skip it. The whole adoption premise has nothing to do with the story and was totally out of place. Amanda Seyfried is briefly in this for some reason, maybe as a favor, because this movie isn't doing her any favors either. It's so hard to find a good comedy.

My sneaking in went unrewarded here. Stars Andrew Rannells and Nick Kroll (Cole and Dom) are a gay couple with a botched adoption behind them. They are on the verge of closing the deal now after ten years, an anniversary they celebrate with an Italian trip. Candace (Amanda Seyfried) does pick them, but they're on a restaurant date and miss getting the news from the horse's mouth. So the chef's son Massimo (Morgan Spector) relays the message in a way threatening their lives. A blood bath ensues. I was done with this black comedy after 70 minutes. But I love Italy and the leads are good comedians, so I reluctantly stayed. This movie stinks something awful. SXSW Festival is a small sample size. Nunzia Shiano as Zia Luciana is good also. The acting overall is fine. The screenplay is preposterous garbage. I enjoyed the Italian setting and language, so that bumps the grade. But this was cringe level bad to sit through otherwise. Seyfried shouldn't even have wasted her time in a nothing role with this tripe.

In silly black comedy "I Don't Understand You" gay couple Nick Kroll & Andrew Rannells, prior to adopting Amanda Seyfried's unborn baby, take a holiday in Italy - including an evening as the only guests at Nunzia Schiano's remote rural restaurant, where the tone plunges from lightly dramatic to downright deadly farcical (in an almost "Weekend At Bernie's" stylee). Quite what co-writers / co-directors Brian Crano & first-timer Daniel Joseph Craig were aiming for is unclear, but their film is certainly eye-brow raising, often amusing, and has decent performances (esp Rannells')... but it's still a curious mish-mash that'll leave many more perplexed than entertained.

The movie has a rather slow start and takes some time to get used to the characters and the situation they find themselves in, but once it gets going, it is actually quite entertaining. The humor mostly works, using a mix of slapstick elements and one-liners that are quite funny. It really reminded me of The Parenting (2025) and probably makes for a great double feature, since both are horror comedies featuring a gay couple as protagonists and have similarly enjoyable humor.

However, this movie does not fully succeed, and the dragging first act is especially tiresome to get through. The protagonists find themselves in a situation that immediately makes you think about what you would do, and while their actions were frustrating at first, I quickly realized that the film is not aiming for realism. The slapstick humor and silliness are front and center, and trying to apply too much logic would ruin the experience.

The movie also reminded me of Tucker & Dale vs. Evil due to the similar tone and some overlapping plot elements. I do not want to directly compare the two since Tucker & Dale is definitely the stronger film in terms of quality and comedy, but this still felt like a little love letter to that kind of horror comedy, which is rare to see these days.

The chemistry between Andrew Rannells and Nick Kroll is not perfect but still works well enough. I was a bit disappointed that Amanda Seyfried only had a minor role, as I would have loved to see more of her. At first, I was also let down by the lack of gore, and I still think the movie would have benefitted from more of it, but there is enough blood and carnage to satisfy horror fans like me.

Overall, this is a decent horror comedy with some good laughs. It is not really meant to scare but rather to entertain, and for the most part, I was entertained. [5.8/10]