Directed by Joe Ferrara and written by Carolyn Goodyear, who both also star as the lead actors of the film, a couple’s romantic dinner at home is wrecked when a fly enters the room.
The key element with a film such as this is the escalation of the story, how eccentric, dramatic or even ridiculous it becomes has to flow in a satisfying way and that’s something Goodyear has captured here. Things move in a natural fashion, allowing the comedy to feel organic and not forcing the situation to fit its needs. It’s not quite laugh out loud funny but it is entertaining and the pacing makes it fill those ten minutes well.
Ferrara’s direction brings a nice new meaning to fly on the wall, the first person insect cam style shots feed well into the comedy of the story. Outside of that it hits a very homely and everyday feel, with a heavy leaning on a cheesy atmosphere. The setting is well chosen, it’s small but the space is used well to never feel overly close or trapped within its one main location. The editing also helps with the pacing, it continues to move forward and never stays on one perspective or scene for too long.
Unfortunately the more natural flow to the story doesn’t quite gel with the filmmakers’ performances. There is a fairly stiff feel to their relationship, especially for what is implied to be a long-term couple, they don’t feel at ease with one another. To a certain degree it seems as though they’re attempting to be overly polite and somewhat fake with each other but then as time goes on it feels more like a consequence of a lack of organic chemistry.
Home Wreckers is funny and creative, it has an original idea with a classic, familiar feel. Its paced well to keep things moving and the direction adds a great variety to push that even further. Unfortunately the relationship element doesn’t feel as natural as the flow of its story, it’s somewhat forced and holds the comedy back a touch from landing more impactfully.
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