The Binge [2020]

September 17, 2020

If I had to describe The Binge using just two words those words would be mindless fun. This review might be a bit biased since I’m still reeling from a commercial shit that was Bill and Ted Face the Music. After that neutered attempt at comedy, a movie featuring sex, drugs and copious amounts of alcohol is a welcome change. You can easily figure out how they came up with this idea: let’s take The Purge concept and make it about alcohol and drugs. Strangely enough, it worked. And just to make things clear, this is not a parody of The Purge.

I watched this movie completely straight and I can tell you it was still fun. Sure, I muttered an occasional “bastards” as they were lighting up joints, but I do that with every movie. Bastards. Hopefully, that will change… Speaking of that whole drug and legislation thing, any movie that explores these subjects is a good movie. Especially in this climate where we’re simultaneously on the verge of legalizing a lot of drugs and banning them. Fucking tribal system of values, I’ll tell you man, it will be the end of us.

Welcome to the world of tomorrow! A world where all the drugs and alcohol are banned except for one day in a year. Better known as The Binge, this is the day that everyone is waiting. Griffin, Hags and Andrew are three friends who are looking for a way to get tickets to the hottest party in their small town. Will they succeed is up to you to find out.

The main story is all over the place which is not surprising considering the sheer amount of jokes thrown at us. Most of them are pretty silly and some of them fall flat on the ground. However, some of them had me laughing out loud. The Binge has that improv vibe like the whole movie was written during one crazy weekend. And the fact that Vince Vaughn improvised most of his dialogue doesn’t help.

Directed by Jeremy Garelick (The Wedding Ringer, The Break-Up) and produced by Hulu, The Binge is an entertaining albeit flawed distraction. It’s clearly a very commercial movie, created pad the Hulu’s selection of comedies. Props to our homeboys from American High who sold this high-concept low-content flick. Hustle hard or don’t hustle at all. Our young cast was phenomenal and if for nothing else you should check it out because of them.

Skyler Gisondo, Dexter Darden and Eduardo Franco have a bright future in front of them. Vaughn was standard-issue Old School Money-Vaughn, just unashamedly being in character. Something you have to respect whether you like it or not. And I really didn’t like his character because you knew where it was going the minute it was introduced.

I think they really should have done a better job with the main story. You can sense what’s going to happen from miles away and you’re forced to watch the characters go through the motions trying to create a coherent story. Movies like Superbad, EuroTrip or Sex Drive were much, much better at telling an interesting and engaging story. Not to mention classics like Dazed and Confused. After The Binge, you might continue your binge with some of those movies. I’m sure you haven’t seen at least one of them recently.