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UNPLUGGING
Director: Debra Neil-Fisher Cast: Eva Longoria, Matt Walsh, Keith David, Lea Thompson, Nicole Byer, Al Madrigal, Johnny Pemberton, Hala Finley MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:34 Release Date: 4/22/22 (limited); 4/29/22 (digital & on-demand) |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | April 21, 2022 The premise of Unplugging is obvious and simple enough for all kinds of possibility to flow from it. In Brad Morris and co-star Matt Walsh's screenplay, a married couple decides to spend a weekend away from the city and, more importantly, from their reliance on modern technology. Only the most addicted and obsessed could argue against such a break. That's one possible direction in which this story could go, since Jeanine (Eva Longoria), the wife of Walsh's Dan, does seem to be one of those types, whose life has been overwhelmed by and seems to depend on access to her smartphone, tablet, and laptop. She's a workaholic, while Dan, who lost his advertising job about a year ago, is self-employed, making homemade hot sauce, a bit more relaxed, spending his downtime playing video games. After his regular delivery driver (played by Al Madrigal) dies and she is given a forced two-week sabbatical at work for overstepping her co-workers' off-hours boundaries, Dan decides that he and Jeanine aren't making the most of life. He sets up a vacation for them, outside a small town in the middle nowhere, with a promise to stay away from work and technology. From there, the story remains stuck in the middle of nowhere, too. The two talk, drink, sit around watching the sunset, play games, head to a local bar, and otherwise enjoy the relaxation, even if Jeanine tries—to no avail, since there's little to no cellphone or internet reception in the area—to break the only rule of the getaway. Longoria and Walsh are charming enough in the way they playfully banter and sarcastically bicker, but the movie doesn't even find a conflict until the third act, when the couple has to find a way to get out of town without the aid of modern technology—including their computer-dependent car. Mostly, it's about them being fishes out of water amidst some quirky locals. One is Gil (Keith David), who runs the only dining establishment in town and is just a genuinely nice, decent guy. There's not much of a joke there, but since it's David in the role, there's plenty of easy charm, at least. Another is Perkins (Lea Thompson), a woman whose mind has become fixated upon conspiracies about the town, the absence of telecommunication signals, and the drones that occupy the skies. There's a joke there, but that's the end of its development. That's about it for the whole of the characters, story, and humor, in fact. Unplugging seems to be under the mistaken assumption that comedy will naturally emerge out of a simple premise, a couple of relatable main characters, a few eccentric side players, and several ideas for complications and conflict. To say the least, that process takes at least a bit more effort than what's on display here. Copyright © 2022 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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(for
language, some sexual content and brief drug use)
