Let's Kill Ward's Wife

Scott Foley did a fine job creating this lighthearted murder story and each actor pulls it all together. This is a fun but not so funny story of a group of close friends finding themselves involved in an accidental on purpose murder. Now they must dispose the evidence and here is found the brilliance of the story.

Maybe how the friends pull it all together isn't quite believable but you find yourself wanting them to get by with it - for reasons you will see at movies start.

It's an adventure, murder, mystery, and scheming story that is sure to keep you watching. My only disappointment was the ending at the bar - did I miss an important detail?

Written, directed, and starring.... scott foley. Uh, oh... not usually a good sign. There's technically nothing wrong with the film, it's just SO slowwwwww. Script needed jazzing up. More fun, more jokes, more action..... something. It's a good premise; ward's wife is a shrew. Mean, jealous, controlling. So his golf buddies talk about knocking her off. But would they actually do it?? And if they do, how would they get rid of the body? Long pauses. And a long un-necessary scene where the couples all talk on the phone, as they are settling into bed. We need less talking, more action. And all these people are awful parents.. saying and doing terrible things in front of their young kids! I guess that was part of the humor. The main problem with this is that it isn't sure what it wants to be. I think it needed more of a dramatic conclusion. It just kind of wanders off at the end. You'll know don faison from scrubs. And the wives are the dominczyk sisters. A family thing. It's okay.

I watched this on Amazon Prime as it was a short film, 84 minutes.

Yet it felt much longer.

The idea is a decent one, but it just never took off and I never got to care about any of the characters.

Don't get me wrong it's not amazing, but we enjoyed it. It's doesn't take itself to seriously and those watching it shouldn't either. Perfectly watchable movie.

As an evidently low-budget writer/producer/director independent film, "Let's Kill Ward's Wife" is not a bad effort. It's watchable, although a little slow and heavy on exposition. The production values are adequate with reasonably clear audio and relatively few annoying jiggly-cam shots, although I found the color a bit washed-out. The cast has an easy camaraderie and there are some genuinely funny moments.

However, it feels more like a made-for-television movie than a theatrical release. It's too conservative and middle-of-the-road for the material. It's not funny enough to be a comedy, nor black enough to be a black comedy, nor suspenseful or mysterious enough. The actions of some characters have the effect of re-energizing their sex lives, but the scenes are too tame to seem credible. Scenes that should be shocking and gruesome seem like something out of a parody or a movie from the sixties.

The inciting moment happens far too late. All of the characters are quickly involved in an unlikely plot with few qualms and little hesitation. The conflict that motivates the characters seems weak, particularly regarding the females in the group. Everybody seems motivated by some sort of herd mentality and loyalty to their friends. There isn't enough sense of good people being trapped into heinous acts by circumstances beyond their control.

The ending is not particularly satisfying because the script lacks a strong theme. There is an imbalance between their actions and the consequences of those actions. The characters haven't grown or developed through their experiences. We don't know what they would do in similar circumstances in the future or why and we're left with no better understanding of what we should do in similar circumstances in real life.