An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn

In a post-Napoleon Dynamite era of unorthodox comedy and cringe-worthy scenarios, An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn may have a chance at making it past cinematic purists, and maybe even thrive with the support of niche audiences willing to expose themselves to infuriatingly awkward situations and pointless dialogue. However, for those who enjoy movies featuring a lesson learned, a unique perspective or at least a purpose of some sort, this may not be for them.

Despite the obvious play on intentionally abysmal acting, Jim Hosking brings his absurd sense of humour to the big screen once again in his follow-up to The Greasy Strangler. Fans of his previous feature will certainly enjoy the equally nonsensical An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn.

Set in the 1970s, a bitter housewife named Lulu Danger (Aubrey Plaza) is fed up with her mundane lifestyle of couch cigarettes and bad television. She brags to her obnoxious husband Shane (Emile Hirsch) that her brother Adjay (an unbearably shrieky Sam Dissanayake) has saved more money than him in a loaded cashbox. Naturally, Shane decides to steal it, setting off a series of ridiculous events. Meanwhile, Lulu gets a glimpse of Beverly Luff Linn (Craig Robinson), her former lover, in a commercial for a “magical, one-night-only event” at a nearby hotel. She immediately becomes obsessed, staring longingly at signs for the mysterious event posted all over town.

After being robbed, Adjay hires Colin (Jemaine Clement), a clearly insecure hitman he meets at the laundromat, to get his cashbox back. Through the most awkward robbery ever to be featured on film, Lulu ends up strong-arming Colin, steals the money herself, and manipulates him into being her bodyguard as she ditches her husband and sets off on a journey to reunite with Luff Linn.

Playing off of social media’s obsession with ASMR sound stimulation and a prism of hideous browns and beiges only seen in depictions of the 1970s, the remainder of the film features a vicious cycle of uncomfortable moments and insufferable characters, notably Luff Linn himself. The main character doesn’t utter a word until the last half hour, communicating only in raspy groans and moans for the entire duration of the picture.

Whilst it does not quite hit the spot on many fronts, there are undeniably funny moments, particularly in Clement’s depiction of Colin (think a gentle New Zealand accent and five different versions of the word “poop”). In addition, the most enjoyable aspect of the movie, at least for those who appreciate sound engineering (or simply like disco-esque music), is the soundtrack.

If random screaming and fart jokes are your forte, then An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn will be right up your alley.

Kari Megeed

An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn is released in select cinemas on 23^rd October 2018.

Watch the trailer for An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn here: