As its title suggests, Home Sweet Hell is a black comedy about a married couple going through a rough patch. A rough patch that became the routine that’s soon going to become something entirely else. It’s not revolutionary or authentic but it does offer a healthy dose of black, edgy humor. Especially if you’re in a marriage or a long-term relationship. You might even recognize some of the scenes. The characters seem familiar and kind of sitcomy, if that’s even a word, but you know what I mean. This goes hand in hand with the overall commercial vibe of the movie. But hey, at least the production values and cinematography are great.
When it comes to misogyny, sure, there’s a little bit of that but nothing that would be catastrophic. The actions and comments that characters make are a reflection of our society and to avoid them would be a mistake. To glorify them would also be a mistake and this is not what happened here. I guess people were expecting more polished and quirkier characters to make the whole story easier to process. Without any moral implications, to be more precise. And I will stop now with this as it has almost nothing to do with the movie. I’ll just say that this was your average boomer experience.
I loved Patrick Wilson here, the man seems to be able to handle any kind of a role. And what to say about Katherine Heigl, who basically carried this movie on her back? She went all-in on the controlling bitchy wife thing and gave one hell of a performance. Sheesh, she was even scary at times. And this finally brings us to the one and only Jordana motherfucking Brewster. Man, do I have a crush on her or what? Ever since I saw Faculty, I was in love. Pretty and talented, a winning combination for an actress.
Don Champagne is the man. With his successful business and a pretty wife, it seems that he has lived by the ho-Joes. However, a hot new salesgirl is going to shift the dynamics of his life. A bit…
With a catchy title like Home Sweet Hell, this movie pokes fun at the ideal American Family. If you’re willing to dig a little deeper than the writers intended you’ll find a pretty sad story about conformity and lack of introspection and communication. And I say that fully knowing that it sounds pretentious and like I know all the shit, trust me, I don’t. Still, this is primarily a black comedy with the whole marriage situation in the background. In the background of what is up to you to find out.
There was a lot of potential here and you can feel it oozing through some of the scenes. Scenes that feel like they’re taken straight out of some play and not a script specifically written for the big screen. With a bit of luck and better writing, this could have been a classic. They sure had the actors to do it. If you’re looking for more movies like this, I first recommend Better Living Through Chemistry and The Ref. I know that it’s not really about marriage but Very Bad Things does with this movie wanted much, much better. And if you want something a bit more authentic and refreshing, check out the French comedy Trouble in Paradise.
Director: Anthony Burns
Writer: Carlo Allen, Ted Elrick, Tom Lavagnino
Cast: Katherine Heigl, Jordana Brewster, Patrick Wilson, Kevin McKidd, A.J. Buckley, James Belushi
Fun Facts: First titled North Of Hell.
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2802136/
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