THE STORY – Two college roommates take some special drugs called “M.I.N.T.S.” and experience a terrifying, hallucinogenic high. The only way to counteract the drug is to eat pizza. They must navigate through the high in order to get the pizza delivered by a drone.
THE CAST – Gaten Matarazzo, Sean Giambrone, Lulu Wilson, Jack Martin, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Marcus Scribner, Caleb Hearon, Sarah Sherman, Justin Cooley & Daniel Radcliffe
THE TEAM – Brian McElhaney & Nick Kocher (Directors/Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 92 Minutes
Caution: Do not watch “Pizza Movie” without a pizza on hand. This critic was unfortunately pizza-less while watching the movie, mostly because I hit play around 7:30 am (not that that’s an excuse, mi dispiace). And while it’s not a movie about Italy’s most popular export, as the title might suggest, the lead characters’ motivation can be broadly summarized as “if they don’t get pizza, they’re fucked.” Their determination to obtain a cheesy pie is enough to make anyone’s stomach rumble. Writer-directors Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney (also known as the comedy team BriTANicK) both make their feature debut with this proudly stupid, admirably crafted film. The pair is clearly aware that they’re not making great art here. However, they still manage to wrangle together a decently entertaining, if inconsequential, movie, thanks in large part to the magnetic trio of actors at its center.
Two of those three performers will be familiar to avid TV followers: Sean Giambrone (“The Goldbergs”) and Gaten Matarazzo (“Stranger Things“). The duo plays college roommates (we finally got Gaten out of high school!) and, as is the law with university-set movies, they’re not alike in personality despite being good friends. Jack (Matarazzo) is gregarious and impulsive, while Montgomery (Giambrone) is awkward and cautious. One day, after finding themselves victims of yet another bullying incident at the hands of the jocks on the football team, they stumble upon a mysterious tin of synthetic drugs hidden in their dorm’s ceiling. Montgomery is hesitant, but Jack convinces him to take one of the M.I.N.T.S. (Mind-Igniting Neural Tuning Stimulants) with him.
Upon researching the psychedelics, they learn that they’re about to experience six distinct hallucinogenic phases, with such bizarre names as “Make the Baby Like It” and “The Ol’ Switcheroo.” But if they don’t end their trip before the completion of the sixth phase, they’re guaranteed to experience a final, terrifying phase. The only way to avoid this fate is to consume the antidote, which just happens to be pizza. With the help of their former friend Lizzy (Lulu Wilson), who inadvertently took the drugs thinking that they’d merely freshen her breath, they turn on, tune in, drop out, and try to make their way to the ground floor of their dorm building to grab their pizza delivery, facing outsized trials and blockades along the way.
These three young actors are the film’s most valuable asset. They all give uniformly committed, hilarious performances, leaning into the specifics of their characters’ personalities while offering totally unique reactions to the increasingly absurd situations they find themselves in. Matarazzo is charming and affable, making it easy to see why his roommate sticks around despite his general lack of caution or foresight. His physical comedy is also delightful, with his musical theater training shining through in how nimble he is on his feet. As his dorm companion, Giambrone calls to mind a young Michael J. Fox, and not just because of his squeaky voice. He’s totally endearing and manages to bring a compelling energy to a character who, in the wrong hands, could merely be an impediment to the movie’s fun.
Lulu Wilson is the true standout of the film. Her off-the-wall, ridiculous performance breaks the mold of typical “girl” roles that, in most stoner films, exist only as romantic interests or as comparatively subdued foundational figures, simply there to serve as a point of comparison to the wacky hijinks of the male characters. Here, she joins in on the ridiculousness, with her wildly expressive face lighting up in exuberance or contorting in terror, depending on the scene’s tone. Before “Pizza Movie,” Wilson was best known for her work in horror, including “Annabelle: Creation,” “Ouija: Origin of Evil,“ and “The Haunting of Hill House.“ This is a far cry from those terrified performances, and here, she proves her versatility. At only 20 years old, she clearly has a bright future ahead of her with a wide range of possible genres that she can conquer.
But it’s not like this film is gonna win any acting Oscars. The most important factor in a weightless comedy like this is simply how funny it is. And “Pizza Movie“ is…funny! If that ellipsis conveys a feeling of hesitancy, then those three little dots have done their job. There are a lot of jokes in “Pizza Movie“ and, by sheer law of averages, roughly only every other one lands successfully. A good majority of the humor of the film is of the “isn’t that random?“ variety, which can be obnoxious by nature. But if ever a premise called for this mode of comedy, it’s a movie where characters find themselves on a hallucinogenic trip with all the corresponding, nonsensical images and thoughts that come from recreational psychotropic substances. The modern queen of absurdist comedy, “SNL’s” Sarah Sherman, even shows up for a cameo as the drug’s creator, laying out the necessary exposition on exactly how the M.I.N.T.S. work and what the characters (and thus the audience) can expect from them. She’s appropriately hilarious in her trademark idiosyncratic way, perfectly establishing the film’s comedic tone that will follow with the ingestion of the drugs.
As the film devolves into action in its later segments, Kocher and McElhaney bring a welcome flair to their scenes. The creative staging, camera tricks, and sharp editing feel particularly indebted to “Everything Everywhere All at Once.“ The film’s best section, in which the characters aren’t allowed to use bad words or the M.I.N.T.S. will mess with them in particularly destructive ways, makes good use of a recurring bit that feels like “Groundhog Day“ if directed by Sam Raimi.
Ultimately, “Pizza Movie’s” title not only reveals a major plot point but also captures the film’s overall energy and weight. It’s generally enjoyable while being consumed, but afterward, it may not feel like a fully satisfying or nourishing cinematic meal. Still, for a movie that most people will almost certainly watch while they’re as high as the characters themselves, one could do a lot worse when selecting a visual companion to go along with their head trip.
