Diractors is an ongoing series in which Hassle writer Jack Draper examines films, new and old, whose directors are better known for their work in front of the camera.
It frequently happens that comedy actors-turned-directors make their efforts as filmmakers feel more low stakes. Of course, Jordan Peele proved this isn’t always quite the case, but it’s rare that these films subvert what we know about the comedian. Which is probably a good thing; it lets this person who has figured out an on screen persona figure out if they have legit filmmaking prowess, never mind whether they’re interested in something other than comedy. Jason Biggs’ directorial debut, Untitled Home Invasion Romance, is another instance of proving what we’ve come to expect, while at the same time existing in an era where the studio comedy is an endangered species. Even when studios are clearly anxious about forking over the cash necessary for a movie to do okay at best, in comes Republic Pictures, known for distributing movies from (checks notes) John Ford and Nicholas Ray. The situation is dire for Untitled to gain any sort of popularity after blowing the dust off an ancient distributor swallowed whole by Paramount. Yet it’s unfair to some of these modest ambitions.
Biggs stars as Kevin, a depressed actor who is involved in a scheme to save his marriage with Suzie (Meaghan Rath). We see them revisit the lake house where Suzie grew up, bumping into her childhood friend turned state trooper (Pen15’s Anna Konkle) and even her past loves (The Umbrella Academy’s Justin H. Min). Kevin brainstorms a scheme to rekindle their marriage by making Ernie (Arturo Castro) pretend to break and enter into the home, allowing Kevin to “rescue” Suzie and save the day. The opening sequence of the movie sets up how they fell in love; the next hour of the movie knocks down why they’re terrible for each other. In a Coen Brothers fashion, nothing goes according to plan, and the fool at the center needs to stick to a script– even though he is shown to not be a very good actor.
It’s too bad that the Coens loom so large over Untitled, as this isn’t a very successful homage to their version of dark comedy. There’s a mix of sincerity that doesn’t feel well-baked enough to be parody and violence that isn’t well-directed enough to be visceral. But there are some moments of genuine comedy in a script that otherwise feels airless, such as when Biggs’ Kevin wants to just up and leave a crime scene and go home, without realizing they still need to help out the police. But it’s just not a script with very much depth. It’s weirdly long for an 80-minute runtime, and never quite decides if it’s a full-on spoof. But the main culprit is the screenwriter, Joshua Paul Johnson (sound editor for American Pie Presents: Girls’ Rules and the Jane Goodall documentary Jane????), who never delivers on this fun premise. Untitled is way more grounded than it has any right to be when its tone would be more suitable in the lane of something like last year’s The Naked Gun. It’s a failure for Biggs as an actor that the script isn’t very consistent with its joke writing, yet the ensemble doesn’t rise to the occasion and support his typical loser persona. There’s nobody here that’s particularly impressive, which is due to the script maybe more than Biggs’ first-film jitters.
As for Biggs, he was largely untapped to me as a screen presence. It wasn’t until last summer that my roommate, much older than I, showed me American Pie, which proved the movie’s reputation that every character involved has a jail sentence waiting for them. But buried deep underneath Pie‘s Axe body spray aura is a normalcy. Everyone in that cast is extremely average-looking and -acting. Every scene is like a car crash you can’t look away from; you want to keep watching how pathetic Biggs is, finding absurd ways to be the butt of the joke while remaining loyal to even bigger losers. Untitled is certainly not a replication of the Jim character in AP; he does feel lost at sea as the only one giving the jokes his all. His own movie never gives him a chance to shine, nor does he give a spotlight to comedy friends– but home he gets another movie in.
Untitled Home Invasion Romance
2025
dir Jason Biggs
84min.
Now available digitally and on demand
