It's a Disaster! Review

What is this "outside" you speak of?

The other day, while snow was falling all around and nature looked so pretty, I was inside, ignoring the view and watching movies. As I paroozed Netflix for something to watch, I came across It's A Disaster, a movie I'd never heard of that starred David Cross and Julia Stiles among others. Being a huge fan of Cross (my second choice for the day was to re-watch Arrested Development for the 27th time), the movie intrigued me. What I found was quite a pleasant surprise. 

It's A Disaster was essentially about four couples who meet each Sunday for brunch. Two are married, one has been engaged for a long time, and Julia Stiles has been dating her new boyfriend Glen (played by Cross) for a couple weeks. The movie starts out well with witty dialogue and great character development. Each character was unique, likeable, and unlikeable in a realistic fashion.

The title is the opposite of the movie!

An interesting tidbit about the movie right from the start was the way conversation moved. Much like at a real meal with many people, several conversations go on at the same time. Though it could be sometimes hard to follow three conversations in one room, the movie did a good job of keeping everything relevant and everything fairly easy to hear.

After all of the characters are developed to a preliminary level, the power goes out mysteriously. At first there is talk of electrical bills not being paid but the characters soon find out that the power has gone out all over the place. Soon after, they find out that bombs have been set off nearby and that the air outside is deadly. Logically, they seal up the house and the fun begins. All hell breaks loose as we find out about affairs, arguments, and grudges within the group. Fear and anger strikes at the same time. The great thing about this movie was that as dark as the subject matter was, it kept itself funny and lighthearted all the way through. Honestly, I found myself laughing through most of the movie. Although it's not meant to be hilarious, it's no Clerks, it is surprisingly funny for the dramedy that it is. The movie balances itself very nicely in the middle of the two genres.

Cross was surprisingly skin colored through the whole movie.

The acting in this movie is one of the main highlights. Every single actor in the lead cast could carry their role incredibly convincingly. Though Cross was credited as the lead actor (most likely because he was the biggest name), each actor/actress had a pretty equal part in the movie. They all seemed natural and realistic, selling them being real people (even with unrealistic quirks). Every actor was
well rounded between drama and comedy, making their characters have struggles at the same time as senses of humor. 
At the end of the movie, plots strangely wrap themselves up in a neat way. The end of the movie was satisfying, even while not being a closed story (watch to see exactly what I mean). As the credits roll, the movie leaves you wanting more but being happy you were along for the ride.

So, the message of this review is simple: Nature is overrated when Netflix exists.

Rating:
8.4/10