Actor, writer, and director B.J. Novak takes his first stab at the big screen. Vengeance (2022) is his big swing at a dramatic comedy that resonates with audiences across political lines.
What’s it about?
Vengeance (2022) follows Ben Manalowitz (B.J. Novak), a writer for The New Yorker who wants to break out into new forms of media. Ben has been looking for inspiration for a podcast that examines American values and would help him make his mark in the podcasting world.
An ex-fling, Abilene Shaw (Lio Tipton), dies of an apparent opioid overdose. Ben receives a call from her brother Ty (Boyd Holbrook), who believes that Ben and Abilene were a couple. Apparently, Abilene had told her family they were an item before she passed away. Ben, not wanting to crush the family, begrudgingly agrees to go to the funeral, which is to be held in Abilene, Texas.
Ben flies to West Texas and attends the funeral. After the funeral, Ty reveals he believes that Abilene did not die of an overdose but was murdered. His reasoning is not based on hard evidence but a “feeling in his gut.” This gives Ben an idea. He decides to help Ty get to the bottom of Abilene’s death and record the experience as a serialized podcast. Ben’s true intention is to highlight how small-town Americans are easily predisposed to toxic conspiracy theories and propaganda. However, as Ben’s reporting continues, he learns there may be truth to Ty’s claim.
My thoughts
B.J. Novak should be praised for his writing and directing Vengeance (2022). This movie could have quickly gone off the rails without nuance in plot and character development. It would have been easy to cast Abilene’s family and the other West Texans as uneducated, conservative yokels living in the heartland. Instead, Novak intentionally tries to tell a story highlighting cultural differences and experiences.
You see the juxtaposition almost immediately. The movie starts with Ben and his friend John (John Mayer) at a party, pontificating about their problematic dating lives. They exchange justifications for jumping from one woman to another at almost the same frequency as one would change clothes. Their conversation is set in a modern, chic club, the exact stereotypical image one may have of big-city, liberal elites.
When Ben arrives in West Texas, everything is covered in dust. There is nothing modern about the town. Everyone drives a pickup truck and all of the townspeople show up for weekend events. The people present themselves as simple, polite, earnest… and slightly unintelligent. Through Ben’s eyes, he has moved backward in time, negatively judging those around him.
Ben is a fish out of water in West Texas, committing various cultural faux pas that you, as viewers, understand is asinine. As he continues to be around the people, his stereotypes are challenged by those he interviews, especially by Quinten Sellers (Ashton Kutcher), a record producer that you could imagine delivering a fascinating Ted Talk.
If the film stopped here, with a redemption angle of the conservative small-town and the educating of a pompous liberal, then I would have found it significantly lacking. However, the film is honest enough to confront real issues in rural America, including racist ideas, opioid addiction, and outrageous conspiracy. There are also positive aspects of liberal big cities, mainly from the reasonable Eloise (Issa Rae), Ben’s podcast producer. You also find a connection for both sides through El Stupido (Eli Bickel), the youngest of the Shaw family (don’t worry, El Stupido is a loving nickname for the kid). Although the child is in rural America, his problems, including a fear of ghosts, would be like any child, regardless of background.
In certain ways, I relate to Ben’s experience. My wife and I lived in a small rural town in the Midwest because of my wife’s work. Both of us are from a major city and are used to a much faster-paced lifestyle than we experienced in the rural heartland. We were fishes out of water, trying to fit in with an area that was wholly unknown to us. Like Ben, we also were met with genuine smiles and helpful hands. We noticed how close-knit the community was and how every event brought out the whole town. With each experience, stereotypes about rural Americans melted.
rural, conservative America does not have a monopoly on racism, as minorities experience racism in the largest cities as well.
As a Black man, there are obviously some cultural elements of rural, white America that I could never reconcile. Specifically, racist ideas and racial ignorance permeate much of the space. Yet, rural, conservative America does not have a monopoly on racism, as minorities experience racism in the largest cities as well. So, all things being equal, Vengeance (2022) makes a strong case for understanding fellow Americans whose culture doesn’t always align with yours.
Overall Rating for Vengeance (2022)
Vengeance (2022) is well-written, directed, and acted. The movie attempts to bridge divides between rural and urban and between liberal and conservative. The film doesn’t ask you to agree with any side but does challenge you to contextualize cultural differences and why they matter. It will also make you laugh at witty comedy and captivate you with heightened drama and thrills. Can it feel a little preachy? Sure, but sermons can be very entertaining.
