Director Jeremy Garelick's "The Binge" is one of those movies you can tell thinks it has a great idea, but the evidence isn't really on the screen. Through narration and a montage of clips, we learn that the world set up in the film is one without drugs and alcohol. "Congress bravely votes to establish a modern-day prohibition," the narrator tells us, thus rendering the use, sale, or distribution of alcohol or any narcotics illegal - except for one day a year.
The title refers to that specific one day a year, where any American over 18 years old can use drugs or alcohol without consequence. If the premise sounds familiar, it's because "The Binge" is like the "Purge" franchise, where crime, including murder, is allowed for one night only. "The Binge" takes that concept and puts a "Superbad"-esque spin on it, which likely sounded creative on paper. It's not so effective as a final product.
Griffin (Skyler Gisondo, who stole scenes last year in "Booksmart") isn't as keen on participating in Binge Day as his friend Hags (Dexter Darden) - he's just trying to find the right way to ask Lena (Grace Van Dien) to prom. Through debating and pressure from Hags, Griffin decides to participate in Binge Day with his friends, including Andrew (Eduardo Franco, also from "Booksmart"). Hopefully, he will find the right time to ask Lena to prom during the evening.
The hijinks one would expect ensue: things go wrong for Griffin and his friends, and their path to the big party is thwarted at almost every step. "The Binge" undoubtedly tries to put a new spin on the party movie, but after the opening sequence, the entire idea or bits of commentary are completely abandoned for something more formulaic, not particularly funny, and ultimately boring. Knowing what's going to happen at every turn of the movie doesn't make it an enjoyable ride.
The trio of actors are clearly having fun with each other and Vince Vaughn brings his manic energy to the role of the high school principal, but "The Binge" just feels like one wacky set-up after another. There's no real flow to the comedy, and after a while the screenplay by Jordan VanDina feels like it's trying to enable one shocking mishap after another. There are plenty of party movies that follow a similar trajectory as "The Binge," and you should seek those out before deciding to press play on this one.
"The Binge" available in Hulu started August 28.
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