FilmSnobReviews

Title: Joshy
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Jeff Baena
Starring: Thomas Middleditch, Nick Kroll, Alex Ross Perry
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

What It Is: It is Josh’s (Middleditch) birthday and his loving fiance Rachel (Alison Brie) has planned something special, sadly it isn’t something Josh really wanted for his birthday. You see Rachel strangled herself with his belt. Following her death, Josh is crushed. When the bachelor weekend they had planned cannot be cancel without a loss of deposit they decide to try and cheer up their friend. With a little bit of the weed and a ton of laughs perhaps they can heal the wounds wrought by the tragedy of Josh’s past.

What We Think: There are some very funny moments mixed in with emotional gut punches along the way. Strong performances hold this together but it’s Silicon Valley’s Thomas Middleditch in the title role that really steals this show. He has a vulnerability about him throughout that is genuinely refreshing. Among the bevy of coke lines and shots, there’s a caring nature to these characters that just want their friend to forget his misfortune. It is that soul, that surprising nature that truly made this movie a great surprise.

Our Grade: B, I had no expectations of this being any good. What I instead got was a very good dramedy filled to the brim with character and life despite the inherent death. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a bit of funny with a cup full of tears. The best part is this film is currently available for viewing on Hulu so if you have that check out this movie! In the meantime, I look forward to whatever Middleditch does because this dude is killing it with how funny he is. He takes that awkward weird dude thing Michael Cera built a career on and turns that sucker up all the way.