‘Splitsville’ Review: Making Laughter Great Again

The comedy was down constant on the big screen. A useful snapshot occurred in January 2016, when “The Martian” by Ridley Scott won the best comedy at the Golden Globes. Where have all the movies aloud have disappeared? The “anchormans”, the “superbads” the “bridesmaids”? They have been replaced by dramas with a slight comic relief, or drameters by humorous moments which are weighed down by heavy themes and social / political connotations. Why can’t a film exist to be funny?

I am happy to point out that we can Finally Turn the area in 2025 when the comedies attempted a return. Several films this year have actually triggered laughter, a sound that has long been absent from theaters, such as “Friendship” by A24, the “Naked Gun” restart and the “Freakier Friday” by Disney.

Fortunately, we can add another to the list: “Splitsville” by Neon.

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(LR) Michael Angelo Covino, Kyle Marvin, Adria Arjona and Dakota Johnson Star in the new R of Neon “Splitsville” comedy. (Thanks to Neon)

“Splitsville” begins, as the title suggests, with a split. The gymnasium teacher with a good heart but naive Carey (Kyle Marvin) is devastated by the admission of his wife Ashley bomb (Adria Arjona) that she wants not only to divorce after only a year of marriage, but that she was also unfaithful. She hesitates to exploit the number of times she cheated when asked.

Carey is looking for the support of his best friend Uber-Conident Paul (Michael Angelo Covino) and his wife Julie (Dakota Johnson), whom he and Ashley were on his way to see at the luxurious beach house of Paul. Paul and Julie reveal to Carey that they have an open marriage, arguing that mutual infidelity maintains their intact relationship. But things quickly took place after Carey and Julie slept together, putting Paul in a rage crisis and leading to one of the funniest and most well choreographed combat scenes of recent memory (yes, this implies a “fish slap”).

The web Relationships becomes more tangled when Carey presents the concept of marriage open to Ashley, putting Carey in an uncomfortable life situation as a love Ashley displays after the lover, who all befriends Carey. And everything comes to the head of the climate and inductive birthday party of Paul and Julie.

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(LR) Paul by Michael Angelo Covino, Russ of Simon Webster and Dakota Johnson Julie Face Family Dysfunction in “Splitsville”. (Thanks to Neon)

Covino and Marvin have enormous chemistry, in part because they are creative partners (they produced and co-written “Splitsville”, led Covino). This is their second collaboration after “The Climb” of the 2020s, their first feature film which was unfortunately published in mainly empty theaters at the height of Covid.

Their talents translate both and on the screen. Marvin charms like the adorable loser Carey, and he really carries all this; By that I mean with a complete frontal nudity. Covino, meanwhile, balances Paul’s arrogance with moments of vulnerability, especially since his life begins to collapse.

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Johnson and Arjona can rarely present their comic chops, which are maximized in “Splitsville” by the striking scenario of Covino and Marvin. Johnson, in particular, seems to have fun more in this role of meat (a mother attentive to the sexual prowess who is resentful that her husband fell asleep while he claims that he “works” in Manhattan) against his other roles, more recently in the decent materialists of Céline, but-Bland “.

Dakota Johnson embodies Julie, a wife in an open wedding, in the new comedy of Neon “Splitsville”. (Thanks to Neon)

The stage thieves, however, go to the rotation of Ashley of the stands and boyfriends of a night, in particular Nicholas Braun (of the renown of the “succession”) as Matt Matt and Charlie Gillespie Rigid in an escape role as a hilarious appetizer in Wannabe, which certainly exceeds its apartments of Carey and Ashley.

As he did with “The Climb”, Covino brings an artistic flair to comedy with a kind of retro atmosphere (“Splitsville” was, after all, shot on the film). The director of photography Adam Newport-Berra maintains part of the mad energy he had filmed “The Studio” of Apple TV +, in particular with his lecture plans. The score of David Wingo and Dabney Morris also stands out as a character in itself.

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Adria Arjona plays Ashley, who begins “Splitsville” by telling her husband that she wants to divorce and that she was unfaithful. (Thanks to Neon)

“Splitsville” can serve as an edifying story for open relationships that are becoming more and more fashionable, but that is not the goal of the film. Covino himself said it during a projection to which I attended Chicago where he was asked during a question / answer session what was his “message” on the taboo subject.

“We don’t really believe in the concept of messages in the movies,” Covino told the Windy City public. “This is not really the purpose of the films, trying to give messages to people. It is certainly the goal of the movies to entertain.”

Isn’t that the purpose of comedy? Entertain, make people laugh? Even satires must do so. No wonder we had such a comic drought. Leave the messages for dramas.

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Michael Angelo Covino played, produced, co-written and produced “Splitsville”. (Thanks to Neon)

The verdict:

Since it is my inaugural criticism of films for Fox News Digital, I should establish basic rules. First of all, I will assess the films on four stars, not five, in honor of the legend of the criticism of cinema (and originally from Chicago) Roger Ebert. Second, although my tastes vary, I will judge films on the value of entertainment, artistic value and originality. And thirdly, in the digital age in which we live, not only will I give a star note, I will also put my verdict on the fact that it is worth seeing in the theaters (“see”), to wait until it is available to broadcast (“broadcast”) or jump it completely (“skip it”).

Now on the real verdict….

Quality comedies have become a rarity over the past decade, so when you arrive, it should be celebrated. Fun purely undeveloped, “SPLITSVILLE” is a refreshment of vis -à -vis that keeps the laughter to come and cement COVINO and Marvin as filmmakers and interpreters amounting to watch.

★★★ ½ – See

“Splitsville” is classified R for language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes. In some theaters now; Large publication September 5, 2025.

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