by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden
In our “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, it’s Trigger Happy by Tiffany Kim Stevens and Syncopated Daydreams.
Synopsis
Repressed husband George (Tyler Poelle) attempts to murder his bread-winning wife Annie (Elsha Kim) for her life insurance policy in this madcap, 1950's-inspired satire.
The Good
Joseph: Director Tiffany Kim Stevens, who co-wrote the screenplay with Daniel Moya, went for particular acting and directing styles and nailed her visions quite impressively. Placing the story in the modern day with a nod to the 1950s, she presents characters who don’t quite fall into camp, though they do require decidedly committed performance styles that stay just this side of crossing that line at times. Poelle and Kim lead a game sizable cast as George and Annie Decker, with Christina Kirkman and Matt Lowe providing strong support as the couple’s married friends Gemma and Mikey Brier.
Mike: With a sort of alt-America thing going on, Trigger Happy is a dark comedy that plays everything with a seriousness that belies its somewhat absurd surroundings which makes for an interesting experience. Director Tiffany Kim Stevens does a nice job keeping the somewhat action-free plot moving along without it languishing too much and screeching to a snail’s pace. Also due some credit are the actors who keep things interesting, doubling down on not letting the plot drag. It’s worth noting that the acting is pretty solid throughout as each person brings their character to life with mostly realistic quirks, concerns, and shortcomings.
The Bad
Joseph: Regular readers here at The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict know that I instantly have issues with a film when it offers no likable characters — protagonists or antagonists alike — and Trigger Happy is, for me, guilty of that. Here our main characters consist of four self-absorbed married people, some of whom hate their partner so much that they fantasize about killing them, if not going further than that. There’s no one to side with, even with one initially sympathetic character who is in initial denial about their situation. And of course humor is subjective; for me, the jokes didn’t always land, though Stevens, Moya, and the cast members enact everything fervently.
I’m not exactly going to spoil the ending of Trigger Happy, but if you want to absolutely go in fresh, please skip the rest of this paragraph. As a lifelong fan of French cinema and its often nihilistic endings to movies, I have been fine with non-Hollywood endings and usually even prefer them. The finale of Trigger Happy, though, delivers a swift kick to the most delicate body parts. Not since I watched Jonathan Demme’s Something Wild (1986) have I felt so jarred by the ending of a comedy film. I’ll leave it at that.
Mike: One of the measuring sticks that I use in rationing a movie is its “rewatchability” and, sadly, I have to give Trigger Happy a fairly low score in this department. It’s not that it’s a bad or poorly made movie, but I just don’t get a lot of enjoyment out of married couples that hate each other so much they daydream of killing them - couple this with the fact that a lot of the humor didn’t really land with me and this just isn’t something I’d find myself putting on for entertainment purposes.
The Verdict
Joseph: I can recommend Trigger Happy for its devoted quasi-nostalgic aesthetic and vibe, and for fine performances from its many cast members. It’s an interesting feature that adventurous cinephiles will find worth a watch.
Mike: There’s an interesting aesthetic going on with Trigger Happy that gives it a timeless feel - from quasi-retro home stylings to modern cars and cell phones which, in part, helps the film sort of exist in its own world of alternate-Americana.
The darkly comedic aspect tends to dissipate over the course of the film until reaching its rather bleak third act which could be a breaking point for some viewers who enjoyed the earlier marital humor.
Helping to save the film is the acting which deserves a mention as everyone does a great job at keeping things engaging, although the overall success of the film will ultimately fall upon the viewer’s liking (or disliking) of the finale.
Trigger Happy
Directed By: Tiffany Kim Stevens
Written By: Daniel Moya
Starring: Tyler Poelle, Elsha Kim, Christina Kirkman, Matt Lowe
Run Time: 1h 26m
Rating: NR
Release Date: 2024
No trailer was available at the time of our screening