Okay, it all sounded to me like an updated version of "Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice," which dared to show us wife swapping back in the late 60s. I only caught up to that film recently on Turner Classic Movies. When I read about "The Overnight," it sounded very familiar.
Okay, I was curious. Now revisit the title of this entry above.
In the years since "Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice," times have changed. Oh, boy, have they changed? The older film was probably considered quite dirty back in the day. Now it might be as tame as the latest production from Pixar. That's because "The Overnight" in 2015 takes things much, much, much further. Writer-director Patrick Brice probably fancies himself as quite the daring filmmaker.
And yet, with all that 21st Century freedom, "The Overnight" winds up being as uninteresting as it can be.
Adam Scott of the Len-never-watched TV show "Parks and Recreation" and Taylor Schilling of the Len-never-watched TV show "Orange is the New Black" play an ordinary and a bit conservative young couple recently relocated to LA from Seattle. They're watching their young son play with another boy in a playground and then meet his overly friendly parents played by Jason Schwartzman and some French nobody called Judith Godreche. Realizing that the new-to-town couple hasn't made many friends, they invite them over for a pizza dinner so the two youngsters can have a sleepover.
Of course, the concept of sleepover you know will eventually extend to the parents. With a clear de-emphasis on the word "sleep." Before long, wine and drugs replace pepperoni pizza as the evening's entree. And the neophytes realize that their new friends are quite...well...liberal.
But this is 2015 so things immediately go down the toilet literally and figuratively. Skinny dipping reveals that Schwartzman has a rather large...well...thing and I will add that there are computer graphics at play here. Meanwhile, Scott is quite self-conscious about his rather small...well...thing. This is not an incidental plot point. About twenty minutes of the movie is devoted to penis envy and unenvy. As a result, the only person in America who likely has "The Overnight" in their #1 queue on Netflix is Dr. Ruth Westheimer.
Meanwhile, the wives run out to pick up snacks at a store and Godreche makes a side trip to a massage parlor where she works a quick shift giving a handjob to one of the locals. At the same time, we are "treated" to countless videos in her other place of employment as she works as a model on videos that demonstrate the correct way to use a breast pump.
All the while this is going on, I am wondering how the hell I talked myself into seeing this. And, oh, yeah, does this screening room have some hand sanitizer available?
The good news about "The Overnight" is that, at 79 minutes, it is mercilessly short. And, no, I'm not making another joke about Adam Scott's character. At the end of this swill, nothing much happens and that's the big letdown. Because, as ugly and ultimately stupid this movie is, you at least want to see something transpire on the big screen. When the four idiots get to the point where they will actually...well...pair off (and not necessarily with the opposite gender), the movie ends as abruptly as well...fill in your own joke.
Seriously, if you're thinking that "The Overnight" is going to give you some great jollies and a laugh or two, you're better off searching the TCM program grid for their next showing of "Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice." In retrospect, that film, produced almost 50 years ago, was a lot more daring than this garbage bag waiting for the Monday trash pickup.
LEN'S RATING: One-half star.
Dinner last night: Hamburger and salad.
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