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    Movie Review

    Extremely unfunny The Binge is too high on its own concept

    Alex Bentley
    Aug 26, 2020 | 12:41 pm
    Extremely unfunny The Binge is too high on its own concept
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    The key to any good film is having a vision of what you want to show the audience. It doesn’t matter what the genre is; if you only have a general concept and nothing else, your film will rarely work. The makers of the new Hulu film The Binge obviously never got past the idea stage when they set out to make it.

    A take-off of the horror film The Purge, The Binge takes place in a highly-fictional world where all alcohol and drugs have been banned except for one day a year when anyone 18 or older is allowed to binge to their heart’s desire. Griffin (Skyler Gisondo) doesn’t have a huge desire to participate, but his best friend Hags (Dexter Darden) is all for it, so Griffin goes along for the ride.

    What ensues is boilerplate material when it comes to teen comedies, as Griffin and Hags run into all sorts of trouble trying to make it to the biggest party of Binge Day. Other issues include Griffin missing opportunities to ask Lena (Grace Van Dien) to prom; Principal Carlsen (Vince Vaughn), who happens to be Lena’s father, out to ruin everyone’s good time; and Andrew (Eduardo Franco) continually leading Griffin and Hags astray.

    Directed by Jeremy Garelick and written by Jordan VanDina, the film works neither as a parody of The Purge nor as a teen comedy. In fact, it barely works as a movie at all. The slapdash effort put into the film shows right from the start, as they use generic footage for interstitial scenes, insert random sex jokes to make the script “edgy,” and skip any kind of plot development for the sake of more wildness.

    The film is so actively unfunny that it’s a wonder anyone making it thought it would work at all. The characters have no connection, and the situations they’re subjected to are so over-the-top that they have no entertainment value. The only reason it remains watchable is due to the sheer charisma of Gisondo, Darden, and, to a lesser degree, Vaughn.

    The one memorable scene is a musical number near the end of the film, but by that point it only registers as mild amusement compared to the complete lack of humor in the rest of the movie. The sequence leans hard into the euphoria and hallucination that comes with the booze and drugs the boys have taken over the course of the film, and it’s so ridiculous that you can’t help but at least chuckle.

    Both Gisondo and Franco had memorable supporting roles in 2019’s Booksmart, which had such a similar base story to this film that The Binge pales in comparison. Gisondo is interesting in small bursts, but he doesn’t work as a leading man, at least not here. Darden is slightly better, but even his enthusiasm can’t save the horrid lines he has to deliver.

    The Binge should serve as a cautionary tale for how not to make a movie, much less a comedy. Even a silly story with little at stake must take some kind of form or it to work.

    ---

    The Binge debuts exclusively on Hulu on August 28.

    Skyler Gisondo in The Binge.

    Skyler Gisondo in The Binge
      
    Photo courtesy of Hulu
    Skyler Gisondo in The Binge.
    movies
    news/entertainment

    This week's hot headlines

    Death of Dallas Caramel Company founder leads week's most-read stories

    Stephanie Allmon Merry
    Jun 14, 2025 | 10:00 am
    Dallas Caramel Company
    Dallas Caramel Company
    Dallas Caramel Company

    Editor's note: It was a newsy week in Dallas. Sadly, the founder of a Dallas sweets company passed away; there was also news of a new gourmet European market in the works and peach cobbler coming to DFW Airport. Here's a chance to get caught up on the week's most-read stories, and here's help planning a fun weekend.

    1. Dallas Caramel Company founder Rain McDermott dies at 52. Dallas entrepreneur Rain McDermott, who founded artisan caramel maker Dallas Caramel Company when she was only 34 years old, died after a battle with breast cancer; she was 52.

    2. Gourmet European Market to open in north Dallas with pierogi and more. A new food shop with a distinct European flair is coming to Dallas: Called Gourmet European Market, it's opening at 17435 Preston Rd., in a shopping center south of Frankford Road, where it will feature food products from all over Europe but with a special focus on the Eastern European countries of Poland, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Israel, and Bulgaria.

    Gourmet European Market Polish gingerbreadPolish gingerbread at Gourmet European Market.Photo courtesy of GEM

    3. Chef and caterer opens Southern to-go cafe south of Dallas. A chef and caterer has opened an eponymous to-go cafe south of Dallas: Called The Cedric Frazier Experience, it’s an upscale soul food kitchen located at 103 Waller St., in Red Oak, where it opened on June 7.

    4. Dallas cuts slack on senior homeowners with new property tax exemption. Dallas seniors who own a home got cut a break: On June 11, the Dallas City Council approved additional property tax relief for senior and disabled homeowners by increasing the city’s property tax exemption for residents who are 65 or older or disabled.

    5. Peach cobbler concept to open 2 locations at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Southern desserts are coming to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW): The Peach Cobbler Factory, a chain based in North Carolina, will open not one but two locations at the airport. The first DFW location will open in Terminal D in late 2025; a second location will open in the new Terminal C Pier in 2026.

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