directed by Dave Franco
It is inspired in part by some dodgy experiences that Franco had in hotels or private rented homes as well as some even more negative experiences that some of Franco's non-white friends or acquaintances had when trying to rent lodgings.
It is true that it is illegal to refuse to do business with someone because of their race, religion or ethnic origin. It's also true that such discrimination can be difficult to prove. This discrimination remains so common that often it's not worth the time or trouble to take someone to court, which is usually what the offenders hope will be the case.
Franco and his co-writers combine those elements and mix them up with a few more generic thriller cliches to make a quality story that doesn't set the genre on fire. It was fun to watch and had the requisite double crosses and misdirection. I think that because the cast was small with a very tight focus the viewer was able to understand the characters a little better. That doesn't necessarily mean that the viewer will sympathize with the characters.
At least two of them are real scumbags while the other two are only marginally better. But they are very real. People make mistakes. People act selfishly. If you dig into anyone's past you're going to find a few things that might give you pause. So it goes.
Charlie wants to have a weekend getaway with his wife Michelle (Alison Brie aka Mrs. Dave Franco), his younger brother Josh (Jeremy Allan White) and Josh's girlfriend Mina (Sheila Vand from 68 Kill).
Mina is also Charlie's business partner. Mina shares authority with Josh. Mina also stands to become very wealthy. She's grateful to Charlie for being willing to share the spotlight and the money with her.
Mina and Charlie spend a lot of time together, something that bothers Josh a little bit. Josh is an ex-con who feels that Mina might be too good for him. Josh can't articulate this feeling very well, but he can certainly engage in friendly and not so friendly rivalry with big brother Charlie.
Mina tries to rent an available home but her application, complete with her picture and Iranian last name, is denied. When Charlie tries his application is accepted. Because the home and location appear perfect, the couples decide to take it, even though Mina is stewing because of the apparent racism.
Still, Taylor is a man who will without apparent embarrassment or rancor ask people of evidently different races how they wound up together or refer to people by their skin color rather than learn their names.
Mina doesn't like Taylor. But Taylor isn't spending the weekend with her. After Taylor leaves it becomes apparent that there is a lot of unresolved tension between and among the two couples. It also becomes apparent to some characters that someone is spying on them. A room door has an electronic lock on it. What could be behind that door? As the lies, paranoia, and manipulation pile up we almost don't need the violence.
I enjoyed how some characters spend a great deal of energy figuring out how to mix deceit and truth to avoid the worst consequences. They always make things worse.
There is some female toplessness but it's shot from the back/above the waistline. This is a short movie that did ok raising the tension throughout but semi-fumbled the ball in the last 20 minutes or so. Actually it could have edited the last 20 minutes and done better for itself. If you're not big into thrillers or horror movies this might be acceptable for you to watch, up until the last 20 minutes. All told, a solid but not great debut.
