Pizza Movie: A Trippy Stoner Comedy Adventure

The directorial debut of sketch comedy duo Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher (also known as BriTANick), Pizza Movie premiered at this past month’s South by Southwest Film Festival. The story centers around two college roommates, the free spirited Jack (Matarazzo), and the shy Montgomery (Giambrone). One night, after having consumed a mind bending drug, the two begin to experience a terrifying and extremely high that can only be counteracted by eating pizza. From there, all in the search of pizza, Jack and Montgomery are thrust into a chaotic night full of absurd encounters, wild hallucinations, and unexpected revelations that could change the course of their friendship forever. Offering up an enjoyable stoner comedy that will take audiences on a wild ride, the film will likely be a big hit with fans of this genre.

Even though the film would have played great in a theatre and been a ton of fun to watch with a big crowd, this film fares just as well on streaming. Designed to be watched with a group of friends, it is great to have a new college comedy that carves its own path, while still paying homage to the classics that came before it. The drug trip sequences, especially, are a lot of fun to watch as they become increasingly bizarre and trippy as the film goes on. The sequences are very creative and chaotic, and just when it looks like they can’t get any more out there, they do but, in spit of this, they work well in adding to the chaos. Not wasting any time in dropping audiences straight into the story, they are hardly given a second to breathe until the credits roll.

Now, a big reason why the film works as well as it does is the pitch-perfect performances from Matarazzo and Giambrone, as Jack and Montgomery. Selling the chaos of the premise, and all the uncertainty that followed, they are a blast to watch, and hilarious, while giving the film heart and a charming quality that would not have been the same without them. Both solid as individuals, where they truly excel is together, working well with one another, creating a believable friendship through all its ups and downs. Meanwhile, on the supporting side, Wilson is also fun to watch as Lizzy, playing the kind of role audiences are not accustomed to seeing from her. Nevertheless, she plays off of Matarazzo and Giambrone wonderfully. On the other hand, the film features a brief, but hilarious, cameo that is among one of the standout moments of the film.

Despite delivering an enjoyable stoner comedy, it is still plagued by issues that hold it back from reaching the heights of the stoner comedy classics. Lacking in the way of consistent laughs, though the film is funny, it should have been more so, based on how it was billed following the first wave of SXSW reactions and reviews. Similarly, the film peaks far too early, with the majority of its best moments taking place in its first half, before it runs out of steam with a weak third act, as the film transitions into more of an action comedy.

All in all, Pizza Movie is a fun stoner comedy that will absolutely please its target audience and anyone else that can get on its wavelength. A big reason as to why the film works so well is the commitment of its stars, Gaten Matarazzo and Sean Giambrone, through all of its bizarre twists and turns. While the film may not be destined to be the next classic by any means, there is definitely a lot to admire and enjoy about this one.

still courtesy of Disney

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/