'Spin Me Round' film review: The Olive Garden of Italy-based comedies
A manager who spent far too long managing a mediocre Italian restaurant wins a trip to sun-soaked Tuscany in the comedy 'Spin Me Round' (screened during the 48th Seattle International Film Festival and opening in select cities Aug. 19).
In short: Amber (Alison Brie), a manager at a chain Italian restaurant, is selected for an all-expenses paid trip to Italy for an immersive cooking program - but the trip falls short of her expectations. Alessandro Nivola, Zach Woods, Tim Heidecker, Aubrey Plaza and Molly Shannon also star.
Fundamentally, 'Spin Me Round' finds a middle-aged woman on a trip to one of the most beautiful places on Earth. For the film to work, the film has to either firmly root the story in Amber as a character or fully embrace her trip. Instead 'Spin Me Round' throws a rather undeveloped protagonist into a half-baked journey.
If any story is defined by its conflict, the only apparent conflict or dramatic tension here is the gap between Amber's romantic expectations and the let down of the trip's reality. Theoretically the film wants to be the anti-'Eat Pray Love,' but in execution it just comes off as a series of inert SNL skits. The script simply doesn't clearly establish Amber's ideation of the Italian trip, even if the script does firmly impress the disappointing flatness of a miserable trip to Italy.
As for the protagonist herself, Amber has virtually no characterization beyond establishing her as a middle-aged manager of a chain restaurant in Bakersfield, Calif ... as if that alone is enough to define her as a character. The script drops a few crumbs that hint at some disappointments in her life and career, but the story simply doesn't flesh her out enough to get an idea of who Amber is and where Amber wants to be - much less a trajectory for her character within the story.
While the story follows a pretty thin character on a journey that works better on paper than in execution, 'Spin Me Round' attempts to mine laughs from a cast boasting some very funny comedians ... that somehow only manages to eek out the occasional amusing bit of banter. Despite an ensemble cast featuring Heidecker ('Tim & Eric'), Ego Nwodim ('SNL'), Shannon ('SNL'), Woods ('The Office'), Lil Rel Howery ('Get Out'), Plaza ('Parks & Recreation') and Fred Armisen ('SNL'), this alleged comedy is tragically unamusing. Any scene featuring the lot of them stuck in a room just feels like broad improv with only set-up provided and the only direction being "be funny."
And in its death throes, the third act culminates in a bizarrely over-the-top mix up of misunderstandings and very broad comedy. But audacity alone does not equate to comedy. The film's way too late turn toward murder mystery is unearned. And no amount of lazy jokes about butt plugs or men having women's names succeed in salvaging 'Spin Me Round.'
Final verdict: For a film about an underwhelming trip to Tuscany, 'Spin Me Round' is likewise an underwhelming comedy that never meets the expectations of its premise and cast.
Score: 2/5
'Spin Me Round' screened at the 48th Seattle International Film Festival and opens in select cities Aug. 19. The dark comedy is unrated and has a runtime of 104 minutes.
