In his review for The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear, Roger Ebert asked his readers what could usefully be said about the movie in a critical review, other than that he laughed. There are, obviously, other things to critique in a comedy, but as long as it accomplishes the one thing it’s supposed to do, most other flaws can be overlooked to an extent. I thought about that review a lot while watching Haunted Heist, the directorial debut of Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), because dear reader: I laughed a total of four times over its interminable 90-minute runtime. The Blackening this ain’t.
Fresh out of prison, “T” (Karlous Miller) rounds up his three longtime friends to stay the night at an AirBnb in the hopes of stealing a ceremonial dagger worth $20 million. There’s Shari (Tiffany Haddish, The Haunted Mansion), a wannabe influencer forced to buy followers and peddle products like Bunion Butter to make ends meet. Then there’s Ellis (Andrew Bachelor, The Babysitter), who harbors a not-so-secret love for Shari and has recently been ousted from the mortgage company he co-founded to impress her. And then there’s Ron (Howery), who is still reeling after separating from his wife Joanna (LaKeysha Edwards). Little do they know that the house they’re staying at is haunted, filled with the racist ghosts of a demonic cult.
Haunted Heist takes a good long while to get going, with the bulk of the first act divided between extended introductions to each of the main players. When we finally do enter the haunted mansion (no, not that one), it takes even longer for ghostly shenanigans to occur as the foursome spend a significant amount of time arguing over each other. And arguing. And arguing. Bits like this go on forever, long after they’ve worn out their welcome. It’s a cliché phrase, but the whole movie feels like a sketch that’s been stretched out to 90 minutes.
The cast does what they can with what little they have to work with. Screenwriter Carl Reid, co-writer of last year’s dreadful Mr. Crocket (review), must have assumed that the talented roster of comedians would improvise, and thus improve upon, anything he came up with. But even they, as skilled as they all are, can only do so much. In the words of RuPaul Charles: where are the jokes? To add insult to injury, Haunted Heist aims for schmaltz in its final 20 minutes, schmaltz that it absolutely doesn’t earn, making the last act of the movie drag as it tries to meet that feature-length runtime.
Howery’s direction is serviceable, if unremarkable. He has a bit of fun using the camera to emphasize what comedy there is, often incorporating rapid pans to give the film some much-needed energy. A few stylish lighting choices, including one during a seance that leads to one of the film’s funnier moments involving a ghostly ménage à trois, feel particularly inspired.
To partially requote Ebert: what else can usefully said about Haunted Heist, other than the essential information that I didn’t laugh? Not much, but don’t let this review stop you from checking it out. Everybody’s humor is different, so what didn’t work for me may very well work for you. Good luck.
Haunted Heist made its world premiere at Fantastic Fest. No release date has been set.
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