• Reviews
    • Watch This
    • VODepths
  • Humor
  • On the Marquee
  • Looking Back
    • Classic Corner
    • Anniversary
  • Film Fests
Crooked Marquee
  • Reviews
    • Watch This
    • VODepths
  • Humor
  • On the Marquee
  • Looking Back
    • Classic Corner
    • Anniversary
  • Film Fests
Home
Reviews

REVIEW: Racism Comedy Tyrel

Dec 12th, 2018 Eric D. Snider
REVIEW: Racism Comedy Tyrel

Prolific Chilean filmmaker Sebastian Silva had five movies play at Sundance before Tyrel premiered there, including two in the same year (Magic Magic and Crystal Fairy and the Magical Cactus, 2013). He introduced a screening of Tyrel, which is about race relations, by saying, “It’s a movie that was specifically designed for Americans. So enjoy it … or not.”

I didn’t particularly enjoy it, but not for the reasons Silva presumably thought some Americans mightn’t. It’s a shaggy, low-key dramedy about a group of guys spending a weekend — the weekend of Trump’s inauguration, as it happens — at a cabin in the Catskills, from the perspective of the one black man among them, Tyler (Jason Mitchell, who played Eazy-E in Straight Outta Compton). Everybody in the group (which includes Michael Cera and Christopher Abbott) is cool and friendly, but their ingrained subconscious racism and general bro-y insensitivity keeps manifesting itself (the film’s title is someone’s mispronunciation of Tyler’s name).

The problem is that it doesn’t go anywhere. Tyrel is Get Out if you removed the horror, most of the comedy, and the point. You keep waiting for something to happen, for the awkwardness and brooding to build to something, and it doesn’t. It’s a good rough draft of a screenplay that just needs to be fleshed out before they start filmi– oh, whoops. Too late now.

Grade: C+

1 hr., 26 min.; not rated but would be R for language.

Join our mailing list! Follow us on Twitter! Write for us!
 
Facebook Twitter Google+
Eric D. Snider

Eric D. Snider

Eric D. Snider has been a film critic since 1999, first for newspapers (when those were a thing) and then for the internet. He was born and raised in Southern California, lived in Utah in his 20s, then Portland, now Utah again. He is glad to meet you, probably.

Subscribe to our Newsletter:
* indicates required
Trending
Apr 7th 9:00 AM
Movies

“These Are Not Very Bright Guys”: The Lessons of All the President’s Men, 45 Years Later

Mar 15th 9:00 AM
Looking Back

1981: The Year of the (Were-)Wolf

Mar 31st 11:00 AM
Movies

Remembering the Late-Night Cable Movie Discovery

Mar 31st 9:00 AM
Movies

Why We Miss Meg Ryan So Much

Apr 9th 9:00 AM
Looking Back

Classic Corner: The Damned

Feb 22nd 2:58 PM
Movies

REVIEW: Viking Cartoon How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

Dec 7th 9:31 PM
Movies

Review: Beyond the Law

Jan 28th 10:34 AM
Film Fests

Review: The Rest of Us

Mar 26th 9:00 AM
Looking Back

Classic Corner: The Lady Eve

Sep 26th 1:14 AM
Film Fests

Fantastic Fest Review: French Drama Savage

blank
cmpopcorn_white3.svg
  • Company
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Writers Guidelines
  • Members
    • Login
    • SignUp
    • Forums
telephone icon [email protected]
envelope icon [email protected]
© 2014-2020 Crooked™ Publishing
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service
blankblank