Tribeca 2022: Vengeance Review

This will be one of several reviews from this year’s Tribeca film Festival. To follow our coverage, click here.

We live in a post-truth world and a fractured society that has left a large portion of us divided by such things as technology, the internet, and/or social media. In order to mend those differences, there must be a sense of common ground sought. Most people tend to live in their own bubbles, they may not necessarily be aware of that. Or at least shining a light on this issue was Vengeance, the feature writing and directorial debut of B.J. Novak set out to do it until it became something so much more. This hilarious and sharp dark comedy is also full of heart as it ultimately shines a window on the society of today through a West Texas family full of unforgettable personalities. While it does get a little crazy and over-the-top at times, there’s a point to it all as characters are more than just caricatures as the film treats them with empathy and gives them some depth as people can prove to be more than one’s preconceptions of them. 

Vengeance is centered around a journalist and podcast host named Ben Manalowitz (Novak) who found himself roped into a murder mystery by the family of one of his old hookups who perhaps misunderstood the extent of his relationship with her. An already awkward situation, he saw it as an opportunity for his big break by making a podcast about the Shaw family and Ty Shaw’s (Holbrook) investigation into the death of his sister Abilene (Lio Tipton), believed to have died from a drug overdose. While it seemed like the death seemed pretty clear-cut, the conspiracy-oriented Ty was too fascinating to ignore therefore Ben reluctantly tagged along. Little did he know, the case evolved into something so much more with plenty of twists and turns, as he interacted with a cast of eccentric characters and it was clear that he didn’t fit in. But was it? Either way, Ben became invested in the family who accepted him with open arms. In the end, this experience proved to be a true real world lesson that pulled him out of his bubble.

A lot of the humor comes from a series of back and forth interactions which worked thanks to Novak’s script and direction and also the chemistry amongst its great cast. The best part of Vengeance was its performances across the board as the film succeeds as an ensemble piece. Novak was fine as Ben while the others had their moments to shine.

At the end of the day, Vengeance is a fun character piece that is sure to resonate with audiences.

still courtesy of Focus Features

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.