Splitsville review: Brilliant comedy about messy relationships
Splitsville may be a comedy about relationships, but it would be misleading to call it a romantic comedy. As the poster says, it’s an “unromantic comedy”, and that feels incredibly accurate.
The film opens with Ashley (Adria Arjona) declaring that she wants a divorce from Carey (Kyle Marvin) after only 14 months of marriage. He seeks refuge with his best friend Paul (Michael Angelo Covino), his wife Julie (Dakota Johnson) and their son Russ (Simon Webster). Carey discovers that Paul and Julie are in an open marriage, and is brutally honest with Paul after he and Julie sleep together only days later. Let the chaos ensue!
Splitsville is a hilarious comedy that examines the murky waters of modern open relationships. It features some brilliant farcical setpieces, including a wonderfully choreographed, staged and edited fight between Paul and Carey and two spectacularly funny incidents involving goldfish. These are probably the moments that will stick in your mind most after the credits roll, but the comedy is littered throughout and the screenplay – by Covino and Marvin – is really sharp, clever and well observed. No wonder it received an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
Marvin is the standout as the heartbroken man looking to fill the hole Ashley left. He soon catches feelings for Julie, which seriously complicates things! Marvin isn’t afraid to make himself look like a doofus (he’s naked quite a bit!) and he totally commits to the physical comedy. While Arjona gave us a taste of her comedic talents before, she gets to really flourish here and show us what she can really do as the messy, chaotic, indecisive Ashley, who gets bored of each new lover quickly. Covino, who also directs, is funny in a deadpan, angry way and Johnson reveals a thoughtful, caring and honest person underneath her hot cool girl exterior.
The pacing is iffy towards the end and the story goes on a bit too long, but Covino sets it right with the final chapter and goes out with a bang with a full ensemble gathering that reminded me of the finale of Crazy Stupid Love, where all the cards are laid out on the table.
I knew Splitsville would be right up my street and it didn’t let me down. I really recommend this one!
In cinemas from Friday 27th March