Having made a name for themselves on Saturday Night Live, where their sketches are often one of the highlights of each show, the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy (Martin Herlihy, John Higgins, and Ben Marshall) have decided they were ready to tackle their own movie. Based on what I’ve seen in The Treasure of Foggy Mountain I would have to agree with them.
The group have such a natural rapport with each other, that the movie’s setup about 3 men named Martin, John, and Ben who’ve been best friends since childhood feels immediately believable. In their mid-20s, they are beginning to feel the various responsibilities that come with adulthood pull them apart, until John realizes that they may be sitting on an old compass that points the way to the legendary treasure of Foggy Mountain, a bust of Marie Antoinette estimated to be worth $100 million. He convinces his friends that finding it might be possible and so they head out into the local woods in search of the statue.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a comedy this densely packed with jokes, and perhaps even longer since I’ve seen one with a ratio of hits to misses so weighted towards the former. Director Paul Briganti does an admirable job of wrangling the insanity, but the script by the 3 leads is what really stands out here. The entire cast has impeccable comic timing, with Conan O’Brien being particularly noteworthy as Ben’s father. The almost non-stop onslaught of jokes, slapstick gags, and absurdist moments does start to lose steam at one point, but things pick up again nicely for a very funny and satisfying finish. It probably won’t be everyone’s can of Truly, but those who enjoy this particular flavor of comedy (like me) will likely watch it repeatedly and find themselves quoting lines with friends. ★★★★
rated r for pervasive language, sexual material, some drug material, brief graphic nudity, and violence.
★★★★★ = Excellent | ★★★★ = Very Good | ★★★ = Good | ★★ = Fair | ★ = Poor
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