IFC Films’ +1 is a strange, delightfully odd movie that combines the college party movie with a bit of time hopping (literally). It’s genuinely unique and a lot of fun – definitely worth picking up on DVD or Blu-Ray.
We meet David (Rhys Wakefield, The Purge) and Jill (Ashley Hinshaw, Snake and Mongoose) as he surprises her by showing up for her fencing match. A moment of mistaken identity, following the match, leads to her dumping him. We leave him trying to apologise and cut to a meteorite crashing to earth nearby and it is not your usual meteor.
Later that same night, he and buddy Teddy (Logan Miller, I’m In The Band) follow through on their plan to attend ‘the party of the century’ anyway. He plans to try, again, to win Jill back; Teddy is hoping to take advantage of returning, more experienced girls to get laid.
The party is something out any teen/college party movie until the party moves outside into a huge backyard with a stage. While the party’s host is bringing a couple of strippers on stage and cranking up the tunes, Teddy is, in fact, embarking on the ‘night of his life’ with a gorgeous blonde named Melanie (Natalie Hall, Pretty Little Liars) – while David is getting shot down, again.
Then weirdness: suddenly the lights flicker out and when they come back on, the party begins again, in the house (mansion, really). David sees it from upstairs – and begins to recognize scenes he’s already experienced. Which is nothing compared to Teddy’s experience – which leads to the two finding a friend named Allison (Colleen and Suzanne Dengal) and Teddy figuring out what’s going on every time the power flickers on and off.
As the film progresses, it becomes apparent, as Pogo once put it, ‘We have met the enemy and he is us.’
Directed by Dennis Iliadis (The Last House on the Left) – from a script by Bill Gullo (from Iliadis’ story) – is a fast-paced film that mixes and matches ideas from radically different places and merges them seamlessly. His cast is asked to do some pretty strange stuff along with the usual party movie hijinks and they do a pretty good job, overall.
Wakefield shows some depth here and some lovable cluelessness in the romance department as David flails away after screwing up. Miller is an almost joyously nerdy horndog who gets really l7ukcy because he’s funny. Hinshaw is great with both the physical demands of the role (she does Jill’s fencing match without a stunt double) and the injured pride caused by David’s goof. Hall gets to be the one who beds the nerd because he’s funny – she’s both aggressive and vulnerable as Melanie.
Iliadis keeps things moving so if there are plotholes to be poked in the narrative, they aren’t immediately noticeable. In fact, I think +1 holds together pretty well. I thoroughly enjoyed it as a B-movie with both originality and a sense of fun.
Features include: a dry but informative Audio Commentary by Iliadis and cinematographer Mihal Malaimare Jr.; Deleted Scenes; Interview with Iliadis and Cast at sxsw by Peri Nemiroff, shockya.com; Screenslam Interview with Director Dennis Iliadis; Do You Have a Recurring Dream? Cast Auditions; Storyboard to Film Comparison: The Poolhouse; VFX Behind The Scenes: Sushi Girl Revenge; VFX Behind The Scenes: Face Replacements; Outtakes: Teddy’s Pick Up School; Mosa+1cs; SFX Makeup Slideshow; Poster Gallery; Trailer; Red Band Trailer
Grade: +1 – B
Grade: Features – A+
Final Grade: A-