Spree is a movie I went into pretty blank. Aside from Marvel movies, I usually watch every film trailer that’s released. However, in a rare move for me, I didn’t see a trailer for this one. I knew the basic plot points based on conversations with friends, but not having seen the trailer, it caught me by surprise how much I enjoyed it.
The movie follows Kurt Kunkle (Joe Keery), a rideshare driver who is thirsty for a following. In an obsession with going viral, he hatches a deadly plan to combine his work with his social media aspirations and decks out his car with cameras for a nonstop live stream of his killings with viral potential.
Spree is a perfect movie for this generation of social media-obsessed youths. I see this being a mini hit with the younger crowd who might relate to Kurt. Many people these days try going viral or find purpose by becoming Instagram famous or a social media influencer. In that regard, I see this movie as a satire about social media, how obsessed some people become with being famous, and the extreme lengths they’ll go to achieve it.
While I get the message the film was trying to go for how social media can make outcast loners do crazy things. I feel a weak script let down the message. Spree didn’t have the depth that a movie trying to tackle this subject in a satirical way should have, and it felt like a first or second draft. To me, the message is that some people don’t create online content just for fame but more to be noticed, and this can be considered a cry for help. I wish writer/director Eugene Kotlyarenko had tried a little harder to make it more transparent or add some heart into it.
For the weakness of his script, Kotlyarenko makes up for it in some great direction. Since the film is basically like a 90-minute Instagram Live, he captured some shots and angles that I liked a lot. Some might call it a ripoff to Unfriended, but this is entirely different and more creative.
Another tremendous creative choice from him was to have live comments pop up regarding Kurt’s actions. It gave it a real authentic feel, and the reactions are accurate to how people react to the events they are seeing, I know I positively would respond that way, despite my issues with the script.
I had always liked Joe Keery’s work as Steve in Stranger Things, even when the character was a douchebag. This movie provided him a perfect platform for his talent. He was great, giving his best performance ever. He’s the main reason this works as much as it does. He is wholly committed to the role, and his screen presence was magnetic. You don’t want to take your eyes off him because he is just on fire the whole time.
In Stranger Things, Keery is part of an ensemble, so he doesn’t get the spotlight often. Despite knowing he is talented, I didn’t think he had something like this in him. He balances many sides of this character. The movie asks him to be dorky, naive, and an all-out psychopath with no remorse. He perfectly knew how to play certain scenes for laughs, making them very cringe-worthy, while some scenes are legit scary.
I loved the character, but with him being the best thing, I can see how his performance could be why some will hate the movie. He very much comes off like a clone of real-life brothers Jake and Logan Paul, who I don’t particularly appreciate as do many, but it worked for me because it’s in the context of a movie and not real life.
I haven’t seen much of SNL the last decade, so I wasn’t familiar at all with the work of Saheer Zamata, but she was great in this. She has incredible comedic timing and had some of the film’s funniest lines. She plays an Instagram influencer/stand up comedian who is a passenger of Kurt’s, and her dynamic with Joe Kerry was great. In a way, she becomes the object of his affections, and you feel sad for Kurt due to how hard he tries being friends with her despite her making it clear she wants nothing to do with him.
Kyle Mooney makes a quick appearance as a friend of Saheer’s character, a fellow stand up comedian, and he made me laugh so much. His character is so deep in the friend zone, and he doesn’t even know it. Kyle owns it, and he made the best of his short time on screen, leaving an impression on me. I’ve been a fan of his since I saw Brigsby Bear, so it was a welcomed surprise to see him appear in this.
I haven’t seen David Arquette in something since probably Scream 4, so it was great to see him pop up here as Kurt’s junkie dad, who is always trying to be hip. He gets about 3 or 4 scenes, and it’s not anything crazy. I could see some disliking his character, but I didn’t have any issues with it. Arquette did what was needed with the role – to be a dad who embarrasses his kid.
Another thing I loved about the movie was the kills, Some weren’t as good as others, but many had a dark humor quality to them that I enjoyed. Keery’s performance adds to them because his psychotic portrayal makes them fun to watch.
I worry that the movie could prove problematic for some who can’t distinguish real life from a movie. Since many people in the real world feel the way Kurt does, I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody tried copying the actions that occur in the movie. Hopefully, that isn’t the case. Some of the things that happen here are very dark, and to see them happen in a real-life setting would be devastating.
While I had my issues with the movie and felt it was a mixed bag in terms of its message, I still had a great time with it and was never bored. So in the age of quarantine, if you want to lay back and turn off your brain for about 90 minutes, I can say give Spree a chance as I feel a casual viewer will get a lot of enjoyment from it.
