Rating 15
Length 1h18
Release 08.08.2021 (US)
Director Richard Bates Jnr
About Thorn and Willow appear to have it all as the revered high priest and priestess of a coven of New Age witches. However, a secret from Thorn’s past throws their lives into turmoil, sending them on a hilarious and trippy journey.
Moon: Moon
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime
Trailer:
The Good
Some of the best parts of this film are when Matthew Gray Gubler has the screen to himself. The middle section, when Thorn is high, is the funniest and most engaging part of the film.
There’s something about Gubler that makes eccentricity acceptable and mainstream so there’s comfort to be found in his performance.
The pinecone! Hearing Aubrey Plaza swear her way through describing the life of a pinecone is just perfect. That woman can do no wrong. Seriously.
The animation and title cards between acts are both incredibly beautiful. Actually, most of the film is stunning. Even with the trance music and complimentary lighting that can only exist to engineer a headache, its beautiful.
The Bad
It takes way too long to get to the reveal that Thorn was once, gasp, popular. Instead, the film focuses more on being an arthouse film. Which is fine, I’m sure. There’s certainly an audience for that. However, there’s also a narrative with potential that would appeal to a larger market if only the script was edited.
“We all have poo in our butts”
Seriously? Did no one take a once over with this script and think ‘we can do better guys.’
The Ugly
Johnny Pemberton is a comedic talent and an absolute genius in Superstore, yet he’s not given the opportunity to shine here and is instead reduced to playing a stereotype and mumble out his words.
Final Thoughts
Not as funny, or easy going, as it could have been. It could have been The Craft, meets Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion. Instead, I almost turned it off in the first 20 minutes and before the reveal.