Comedy has been in steady decline on the big screen. A useful snapshot came in January 2016, when Ridley Scott’s “The Martian” won Best Comedy at the Golden Globes. Where have all the laugh-out-loud movies gone? The “Anchormans,” the “Superbads” the “Bridesmaids”? They were replaced by dramas with mild comic relief, or dramedies with humorous moments that are weighed down by heavy themes and social/political overtones. Why can’t a movie exist for the sake of being funny?
I’m happy to report that we may finally be turning the corner in 2025 as comedies attempt a comeback. Several films this year have actually sparked laughter, a sound that’s long been absent from theaters, like A24’s “Friendship,” Paramount’s “Naked Gun” reboot and Disney’s “Freakier Friday.”
Thankfully, we can add another to the list: Neon’s “Splitsville.”
“Splitsville” begins, as the title suggests, with a split. Good-hearted but naive gym teacher Carey (Kyle Marvin) is devastated by the admission from his bombshell wife Ashley (Adria Arjona) that she not only wants a divorce after just a year or so of marriage, but that she has also been unfaithful. She hesitates to fess up how many times she’s cheated when asked.
Carey seeks support from his uber-confident best friend Paul (Michael Angelo Covino) and his wife Julie (Dakota Johnson), who he and Ashley were on their way to see at Paul’s luxurious beach house. Paul and Julie reveal to Carey that they have an open marriage, arguing that mutual infidelity keeps their relationship intact. But things quickly unravel after Carey and Julie sleep together, putting Paul in a fit of rage and leading to one of the funniest, most well-choreographed fight scenes in recent memory (yes, it involves a “fish slap”).
The relationship web gets further tangled when Carey introduces the open marriage concept to Ashley, putting Carey in an uncomfortable living situation as Ashley flaunts lover after lover, all of whom Carey befriends. And everything comes to a head at Paul and Julie’s son’s climactic, anxiety-inducing birthday party.
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Covino and Marvin have tremendous chemistry, in part because they’re creative partners (they produced and co-wrote “Splitsville,” Covino directed). It’s their second collaboration following 2020’s “The Climb,” their fantastic feature debut that was unfortunately released to mostly-empty theaters during the height of COVID.
Their talents translate both off and on screen. Marvin charms as the lovable loser Carey, and he truly bears it all; by that I mean with full-frontal nudity. Covino, meanwhile, balances Paul’s arrogance with moments of vulnerability, particularly as his life starts falling apart.
DAVE CHAPPELLE SAYS HE’S BEEN ‘SNUBBED’ BY HOLLYWOOD AWARDS SHOWS FOLLOWING TRANS JOKES
Johnson and Arjona rarely get to showcase their comedic chops, which are maximized in “Splitsville” by Covino and Marvin’s punchy screenplay. Johnson, in particular, looks like she’s having more fun in this meaty role (an attentive mother with sexual prowess who’s resentful that her husband gets to sleep around as he claims he’s “working” in Manhattan) versus her other roles, most recently in Celine Song’s decent-but-rather-bland “Materialists.”
The scene-stealers, however, go to Ashley’s rotation of one-night stands and boyfriends, including Nicholas Braun (of “Succession” fame) as the rigid mentalist Matt and Charlie Gillespie in a breakout role as the hilarious wannabe rocker Jackson, who certainly overstays his welcome in Carey and Ashley’s increasingly-crowded apartment.
Like he did with “The Climb,” Covino brings artistic flair to comedy with a sort of retro vibe (“Splitsville” was, after all, shot on film). Cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra maintains some of the crazy energy he had filming Apple TV+’s “The Studio,” particularly with his masterful tracking shots. The score by David Wingo and Dabney Morris also stands out as a character in itself.
ORIGINAL ‘NAKED GUN’ DIRECTOR OFFERS HIS REASONS FOR SKIPPING LIAM NEESON REBOOT
“Splitsville” can serve as a cautionary tale for open relationships that are more and more becoming en vogue, but that’s not the point of the film. Covino said so himself at a screening I attended in Chicago where he was asked in a Q&A session what his “message” was about the taboo subject.
“We don’t really believe in the concept of messages in movies,” Covino told the Windy City audience. “It’s not really the purpose of movies, to try to give people messages. It’s definitely the purpose of movies to entertain.”
Isn’t that the point of comedy? To entertain, to make people laugh? Even satires must do that. No wonder we’ve had such a comedic drought. Leave the messages for dramas.
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Given that this is my inaugural film review for Fox News Digital, I should lay out some ground rules. First, I will rate films out of four stars, not five, in honor of the late film critic legend (and Chicago native) Roger Ebert. Second, while my tastes vary, I’ll judge films on entertainment value, artistic value and originality. And third, in the digital age we live in, not only will I give a star rating, I will also hand down my verdict on whether it’s worth seeing in theaters (“SEE IT”), wait til it’s available to stream (“STREAM IT”) or skip it altogether (“SKIP IT”).
Now, onto the real verdict….
Quality comedies have become a rarity this past decade, so when one comes around, it ought to be celebrated. Purely unadulterated fun, “Splitsville” is a fresh screwball romp that keeps the laughs coming and cements Covino and Marvin as rising filmmakers and performers to watch.
“Splitsville” is rated R for language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes. In select theaters now; wide release September 5, 2025.
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Comedy has been in steady decline on the big screen. A useful snapshot came in January 2016, when Ridley Scott’s “The Martian” won Best Comedy at the Golden Globes. Where have all the laugh-out-loud movies gone? The “Anchormans,” the “Superbads” the “Bridesmaids”? They were replaced by dramas with mild comic relief, or dramedies with humorous moments that are weighed down by heavy themes and social/political overtones. Why can’t a movie exist for the sake of being funny?
I’m happy to report that we may finally be turning the corner in 2025 as comedies attempt a comeback. Several films this year have actually sparked laughter, a sound that’s long been absent from theaters, like A24’s “Friendship,” Paramount’s “Naked Gun” reboot and Disney’s “Freakier Friday.”
Thankfully, we can add another to the list: Neon’s “Splitsville.”
“Splitsville” begins, as the title suggests, with a split. Good-hearted but naive gym teacher Carey (Kyle Marvin) is devastated by the admission from his bombshell wife Ashley (Adria Arjona) that she not only wants a divorce after just a year or so of marriage, but that she has also been unfaithful. She hesitates to fess up how many times she’s cheated when asked.
Carey seeks support from his uber-confident best friend Paul (Michael Angelo Covino) and his wife Julie (Dakota Johnson), who he and Ashley were on their way to see at Paul’s luxurious beach house. Paul and Julie reveal to Carey that they have an open marriage, arguing that mutual infidelity keeps their relationship intact. But things quickly unravel after Carey and Julie sleep together, putting Paul in a fit of rage and leading to one of the funniest, most well-choreographed fight scenes in recent memory (yes, it involves a “fish slap”).
The relationship web gets further tangled when Carey introduces the open marriage concept to Ashley, putting Carey in an uncomfortable living situation as Ashley flaunts lover after lover, all of whom Carey befriends. And everything comes to a head at Paul and Julie’s son’s climactic, anxiety-inducing birthday party.
‘HAPPY GILMORE 2’ STAR ADAM SANDLER’S ONE CRUCIAL RULE FOR HIS DAUGHTERS NAVIGATING HOLLYWOOD
Covino and Marvin have tremendous chemistry, in part because they’re creative partners (they produced and co-wrote “Splitsville,” Covino directed). It’s their second collaboration following 2020’s “The Climb,” their fantastic feature debut that was unfortunately released to mostly-empty theaters during the height of COVID.
Their talents translate both off and on screen. Marvin charms as the lovable loser Carey, and he truly bears it all; by that I mean with full-frontal nudity. Covino, meanwhile, balances Paul’s arrogance with moments of vulnerability, particularly as his life starts falling apart.
DAVE CHAPPELLE SAYS HE’S BEEN ‘SNUBBED’ BY HOLLYWOOD AWARDS SHOWS FOLLOWING TRANS JOKES
Johnson and Arjona rarely get to showcase their comedic chops, which are maximized in “Splitsville” by Covino and Marvin’s punchy screenplay. Johnson, in particular, looks like she’s having more fun in this meaty role (an attentive mother with sexual prowess who’s resentful that her husband gets to sleep around as he claims he’s “working” in Manhattan) versus her other roles, most recently in Celine Song’s decent-but-rather-bland “Materialists.”
The scene-stealers, however, go to Ashley’s rotation of one-night stands and boyfriends, including Nicholas Braun (of “Succession” fame) as the rigid mentalist Matt and Charlie Gillespie in a breakout role as the hilarious wannabe rocker Jackson, who certainly overstays his welcome in Carey and Ashley’s increasingly-crowded apartment.
Like he did with “The Climb,” Covino brings artistic flair to comedy with a sort of retro vibe (“Splitsville” was, after all, shot on film). Cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra maintains some of the crazy energy he had filming Apple TV+’s “The Studio,” particularly with his masterful tracking shots. The score by David Wingo and Dabney Morris also stands out as a character in itself.
ORIGINAL ‘NAKED GUN’ DIRECTOR OFFERS HIS REASONS FOR SKIPPING LIAM NEESON REBOOT
“Splitsville” can serve as a cautionary tale for open relationships that are more and more becoming en vogue, but that’s not the point of the film. Covino said so himself at a screening I attended in Chicago where he was asked in a Q&A session what his “message” was about the taboo subject.
“We don’t really believe in the concept of messages in movies,” Covino told the Windy City audience. “It’s not really the purpose of movies, to try to give people messages. It’s definitely the purpose of movies to entertain.”
Isn’t that the point of comedy? To entertain, to make people laugh? Even satires must do that. No wonder we’ve had such a comedic drought. Leave the messages for dramas.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST MEDIA AND CULTURE NEWS
The Verdict:
Given that this is my inaugural film review for Fox News Digital, I should lay out some ground rules. First, I will rate films out of four stars, not five, in honor of the late film critic legend (and Chicago native) Roger Ebert. Second, while my tastes vary, I’ll judge films on entertainment value, artistic value and originality. And third, in the digital age we live in, not only will I give a star rating, I will also hand down my verdict on whether it’s worth seeing in theaters (“SEE IT”), wait til it’s available to stream (“STREAM IT”) or skip it altogether (“SKIP IT”).
Now, onto the real verdict….
Quality comedies have become a rarity this past decade, so when one comes around, it ought to be celebrated. Purely unadulterated fun, “Splitsville” is a fresh screwball romp that keeps the laughs coming and cements Covino and Marvin as rising filmmakers and performers to watch.
“Splitsville” is rated R for language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes. In select theaters now; wide release September 5, 2025.
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