Fellow Movie Buffs

Thursday, June 29, 2023

"Who Invited Charlie?"

 2022 * NR * 1h 32m  On the surface, it's a laugh-out-loud comedy, filled with drinking and pot-smoking antics, led by Adam Pally. He reminds me a little of the late, great John Belushi. He's funny, crazy, and has that infectious mantic quality Belushi had. But this film goes a bit deeper than that, and I found it to be a solid, touching look at family life and dysfunction. 

The story revolves around a New York couple and their son. Rosie (Jordan Brewster) and Phil (Reid Scott)  and their son Max (Peter Dager) decide to leave the city and spend time at their summer home in the Hamptons. The film takes place during the beginning of the pandemic, which I thought was a bit annoying. Get used to it folks, I think we're going to see a lot more of them in the near future. The couple has some problems to work out, and their son is incredibly shy. The one day Charlie (Pally) shows up, unannounced. He's a total wild man, sucking down booze and smoking pot all day. 

At first the family is on edge, but eventually things begin to click. It's implied that several years ago, Phil stole an idea that Charlie had and ran with it--and ended up making a pile of dough from it. But  Charlie doesn't begrudge him for doing it. And while he's there, he gets the couple to try to work out things.He  also helps Max come out of his shell. I had a feeling that it was going to turn into an "Animal House" crazy film, but I thought it went a lot deeper than that. It was an overall solid flick. 

4 out of 5 stars

It's streaming for free on Kanopy with your library card. And to rent on Prime Video. 




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