THE STORY – Bunny is a hustler out on a job when things go sideways and he’s thrown into a fight for his life. With the help of his best friend Dino, this fight kicks off one hot, endless, New York summer day spent scheming with the neighbors of their East Village tenement building to try — and repeatedly fail — to hide a dead body. Did I say body? I meant bodies. The cops keep sniffing around, the downstairs neighbors want to party, an Airbnb guest longs for love, an estranged father resurfaces, and Bunny just wants to make it through the night.
THE CAST – Mo Stark, Ben Jacobson, Liza Colby, Tony Drazan, Linda Rong Mei Chen, Genevieve Hudson-Price, Liz Caribel Sierra, Ajay Naidu, Richard Price & Henry Czerny
THE TEAM – Ben Jacobson (Director/Writer), Mo Stark & Stefan Marolachakis (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 87 Minutes
Beauty can always be found in admiring chaos. Perhaps not entirely so when you are forced into the fray as a participant, but it still can be a riveting spectacle when sat on the sideline as an observer. You sit on the proverbial front porch and gaze at the frenzy happening right in front of you. Stories and characters collide with violent force, but in ways that create an enthralling drama from which it’s hard to look away. When these events transpire over a matter of hours, it brings an even greater sense of intensity to the scene, as if a ticking clock has heightened every emotional confrontation. “Bunny” operates within this formula, and has hallmarks that recall a hectic landscape that makes for a fun investment. Unfortunately, most of that potential is wasted on a premise that struggles to kick into high gear.
It is indeed a crazy day for Bunny (Mo Stark), a New York City hustler experiencing a series of increasingly terrible circumstances. It starts in the afternoon, when he flees from a violent altercation with a client who sexually assaulted him. Returning home, on his birthday no less, he finds his wife Bobbie (Liza Colby) in a disagreeable mood, though she is unaware of his circumstances. Their situation is uneasy with the arrival of their houseguest Happy Chana (Genevieve Hudson-Prince), whose brief appearance in town creates conflict when she makes demands that adhere to her orthodox faith. All of this may be tolerable were it not for the driver of the aforementioned client showing up to Bunny’s place, and during a fight between them, Bunny kills the man. Enlisting the help of his absentminded friend Dino (Ben Jacobson), the two scramble to get rid of the body, avoid the cops loitering outside, and stay clear of other party guests in an attempt to survive the messy and chaotic procedural.
You can easily spot the kind of film this is meant to be. We follow a man who has built an entire life out of bending to people’s wills but being savvy enough to always have the upper hand, but now finds himself losing control as the pieces start to fall apart. It’s a sturdy foundation to build from, but incredibly frustrating to watch as that momentum never truly take off. Jacobson is not only a member of the cast but also the film’s director and co-writer, yet his efforts behind the camera feel rather lethargic. There is a constant sense of things continually unfolding. New events emerge that are meant to raise the stakes, but every novel revelation doesn’t enter the frame with the sense of immediacy needed to elevate the tension. The scurry to hide the body is a flatly executed comedic set piece that recognizes the absurdity without ever leaning into the manic energy. Happy Chana’s constant barrage of demands lands with a thud. There’s some amusement with an elderly neighbor who keeps asking Bunny for domestic favors that’s slightly amusing, even more so when it’s discovered he has a roommate played by Oscar-winning screenwriter Eric Roth (who gets his own “introducing” title card). These moments are meant to build up the anxiety, but the tone feels so dour and lifeless.
Perhaps this is because Bunny as a character is so ill-defined. Right away, he lets us know his occupation, which gives a broad perspective of his personality, but nothing he does in this narrative makes him a more captivating figure. Whatever street smarts he possesses don’t play into him manipulating others or getting out of tight situations. The relationships with his wife and friends don’t bear any meaningful insight into his personal values. He reads like a Simon Rex in “Red Rocket” or Adam Sandler in “Uncut Gems,” yet without any definition to make him an intriguing figure to dissect. He also isn’t boastful, nor all that deep with introspective thought. He is a blank slate that mostly lets the parade of broadly drawn characters surrounding him make a greater impact. There never really is a reason to find Bunny endearing, and therefore no investment is made into his dramatic plights. This ends up being a massive failure in the storytelling. For all its attempts to manifest a turbulent environment, the results are tedious, aimless, and languid in its pacing.
I wish that Stark, also one of the film’s writers, could have elevated this material with his natural screen presence, but that is sadly elusive here. His performance is satisfactory in what needs to be accomplished, but there’s little life or spark in this persona. Yes, he’s tired and annoyed at his surroundings, but nothing in his portrayal makes him a figure to truly connect with, whether that be admiration or revulsion. He plays it in a register that never elicits any passion, leaving others to do so. There may be an effort to remain a steady rock in the disorder, but the tradeoff is a weak central figure. Players like Colby and Hudson-Prince have their charm but only make so much of an impression. The same goes for Tony Drazan as Bobbie’s estranged father who turns up for some stale comedic bits. The only one who truly stands out is Jacobson, who makes up for the less-than-stellar filmmaking with a quirky portrayal, playing the buffoon in an engrossing manner that never becomes too histrionic. He’s the only one who makes a real impact in this ensemble, maybe apart from Richard Price who gets in a few lighthearted moments as that neighbor asking for assistance in his soft-spoken yet sharply delivered readings.
It’s easy to identify the ingredients that would make “Bunny” fodder for a compelling situation. The characters, premise, and comedic setups are all there to drive up the tension while also crafting engaging set pieces to witness. Unfortunately, it all amounts to very little. What should be a mad-dash race to a finish line is instead a hollow exercise that struggles to truly become an exciting venture. There may be a moment here or there without enough levity or tension to register a pulse, but most of the film is dull and monotonous. An interesting idea has been presented, but the execution does not create a particularly stimulating experience.
