Never Goin' Back

Yes, some humor. Not demanding acting roles. Stereotypical fast food workers need money to go on a vacation. Usual drugs; good looking guys; not-so-good looking guys as counterpoint. Drug deal goes awry; get in trouble at work; irresponsible at times. Steal money as if it's OK, but not a good message in this make it real tale. Forgettable, but if you like this type script it's a good time waster.

Whoever made the trailer for this film really knew how to get my hyped for it. Looked like a stupid film about teenagers who did nothing but do drugs and do dumb stuff. Its pretty much exactly that and its good enough in that regard. The laughs don't come at all times but when they do its absolutely hilarious. I had a good time with this, might give it a re-watch some time down the road. Its like a Pineapple Express but with teenage girls, an enjoyable 90 minutes.

The film is about two teenage waitresses who are looking forward to go the beach and relax. They put their rent money into that vacation. In the meantime they are affiliated with their drug dealing roommates, and mix into that lifestyle themselves. Along the way, the girls get fired, get stoned, puke, and party. You know, the typical stuff. Oh yeah, and one of the leads needs to take a crap for the entire duration of the film, this is a legit storyline.

I liked both lead actresses in their roles. These are two girls who are looking for short cuts to get ahead. They are at a dead end job and just want to do drugs and party. The characters are annoying at times but overall you want to see where they go next. I think the chicken shop robbery was absolutely hilarious. The comedy isn't effective everywhere but when it is, its hilarious. The moments where the two leads have edibles and are stoned the rest of the way is incredibly accurate.

The film is legitimately about nothing and has no stakes. Not that problematic because its still funny. Have you ever needed to poop really badly but had to hold it in for a long period of time? Yeah, so that's a plot point here. The film is just going to fade away as swiftly as it came but it was an enjoyable effort. Side note, Kyle Mooney somehow manages to become the MVP once again.

6.5/10

Never Goin' Back is a raunchy, ridiculous, and wildly entertaining film from top to bottom. The pace is fleet, the characters are fun, and the writer/director was able to capture a lightning in a bottle slice of life (for stupid people) on par with the greats. Think 'Tangerine'. Getting it even closer to its comparison, the audience isn't begged to love these two dummies, but it's impossible not to. For all their hare brained ideas and bucket pooping, the inescapable fact is that these are two nearly homeless 16 year old girls with apparently no parents, no direction, no safety net. They've truly slipped through the cracks of the system and have to make or find everything they have; money, rent, furniture, and most importantly joy. I love this film.

"Never Goin' Back" (2018 release; 85 min.) brings the (mis)adventures of Angela and Jessie. As the movie opens, Angela has a surprise for Jessie: for Jessie's 17th birthday next week, Angela has bought them a stay in Galveston. "How did you pay for it?", asks Jessie. "I used the rent money", confesses Angela. But the girls can make up for the shortfall if they do all the shifts that week as waitresses. Ala, things don't go quite as planned... At this point we're less than 10 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: the movie is written and directed by Augustine Frizzell, better known for her acting. This is her feature-length directing debut. Here she brings us the story of these two BFFs who are high-school drop-outs, and share a small apartment with Jessie's brother and a buddy of his. From all the looks and feels of it, they are all losers. But take a closer look, and instead you'll see two teenagers who are at the doorsteps of adulthood, and for whom anything is possible still. We never find out anything about either's parents or other clues as to how they got to where they are now. Beware, there are some very crude scenes in the film, so if that is not your kind of humor, better stay away from this film. I thought there were some truly hilarious scenes. "Dude, I puked him to death!" (comment from one of the girls when she accidentally throws up on someone) is an instant classic line. The best sequence in the film comes when the girls accidentally eat spiked cookies and end up high as a kite just before they need to be at work. Hilarity ensues.... just watch! The two leads (Australian actress Maia Mitchell as Angela and Camila Morrone as Jessie) are charming and have obvious screen chemistry. Last but not least, there is tons of great music in the film, both as the the original score (courtesy of singer Sarah Jaffe) and the many song placements in the film.

"Never Goin' Back" premiered at this year's Sundance film festival to good acclaim. It finally reached my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati this weekend, The Saturday matinee screening where I saw this at was attended dismally (3 people, including myself). Probably the picture-perfect weather outside had something to do with it. Regardless, if you are in the mood for a truly indie film about the lives and times of two teenagers on the verge of adulthood, I'd encourage you to check this out, be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

Overall fairly good go nowhere flick about 2 chicks trying to make rent. Stoner humor but well done for the most part. Found the characters enjoyable enough to get through it. There is nothing new here but it's a decently told story about nothing important.