Allan Watched "Let's Start A Cult"
Fabulously stupid with no redeeming characters in sight, Let’s Start A Cult is a ridiculous hour and a half that you can’t take your eyes off of no matter how hard you try.
Gut
Can I sit here with an honest heart and say Let’s Start A Cult, stand-up comedian Stavros Halkias’s first film vehicle, is a great movie? No, I cannot. Did I almost turn it off in the first 10 minutes, but the $6.99 I paid made me follow through with it? Yes, I did. But at the end of this confidently insane film I was still smiling and laughing at the silliest moments, and overall it was worth my seven bucks.
Halkias, who plays our “hero” Chip, is full Stavros the whole way through. Chip is a buffoon trying to start a new cult with his former cult leader because the last cult hated him so much they committed their group ceremony without him. He deserves none of your love or attention really, but he commandeers your focus so effortlessly, that even when you are seeing way to much Stavros, you cannot look away. Well, that is a lie. I did look away once, because I can only do so much exposed Stavros.
LA Feel
If you are a fan of the Comedy Store-style scene and it’s endless cast of characters that overrun the podcast marketplace on TikTok and Reels, this is the film for you. Tons of LA’s up-and-coming sketch comedians and stand up acts make appearances, as well as some legends. Tom Papa graces us for a short time. Robert Kelly, Ethan Suplee, and Sarah Charipar are brilliantly funny for their chunk as Chip’s family, who are trying to get him back into normal life after being missing for years.
Rajat Suresh and Jeremy Levick steal a scene as hapless house painters that get robbed by the scheming Chip. Even non-comedian CM Punk gets to step in to play a creepy trailer-park guy (leave your jokes about how hard this was for him here). There is just so much fresh comedy in here that you cannot ignore, even if the film itself feels more like a long, at times cringy, sketch.
New Cult, Best Cult
The most well rounded performances come from Wes Haney as the perennial cult leader William Davenport, and the new group of wandering malcontents him and Chip round into the group. Kathy Fullan pops the most as Diane, a vindictive daughter who they meet while stealing breakfast at a hotel, and the rest of the new crew is just endearing enough to give this film the only tiny bit of heart that it can handle.
Overall, the relentless assault of characters keeps the film driving forward to its bizarre ending. The storyline is very thin, and at times you forget that the reason they are assembling is so Chip can convince them to participate in a “Jonestown” type ceremony, but there is enough here to make this passable as a full feature film.
I discussed in my review of Golden Arm that we need more of these crazy sub-two-hour comedies. The best of these seem to come from the sketch and stand-up stars of LA, and hopefully Let’s Start A Cult does well enough that more get made.
Random Thoughts
Joe Pera siting! If you know Joe Pera, you will be interested to know if he talk like Joe Pera in the movie…. and he does! Because by now I guess we have to accept it is not a bit. Love Joe Pera.
Dorota the Destroyer. Woof. There is no unseeing that scene, but she is probably the most memorable character by far.
The opening scene captures the essence of cult docs really well. I don’t mind that this wasn’t an attempt at unpacking the psyche of someone who joins a cult, and I appreciate that they took a funny premise and didn’t shove it down our throats.
Stavros is an advocate for body positivity, and uh, he is really positive about his body in this movie.
Being a gravel salesman has to be easy. Either you need gravel or you don’t.
I have been deeper and deeper into a rabbit hole of that social account that animates drunk people getting arrested, and this movie has the same vibe. I can’t really explain it, but I like them the same.
I do enjoy that the only person with a moral compass is William the murdering cult leader. Him playing the straight man role works really well.
Quick Hits
How many times have I seen this movie?
First time! I can’t imagine I would watch it again though. I think I’ve seen enough.
Where was I watching it?
In my office after work with a caramel macchiato.
Favorite trivia about the movie
Not really film trivia, but I do appreicate that Stavvy works across different generations of comics right now. He does great with the Theo Vonn, Gabby Lamb, Kill Tony-type crowd, but also has the respect of the John Mulaney and Tom Papa crowd. They do not need to be mutually exclusive.
Favorite part
The seven minutes of him back with his family is a delight.
Least favorite part
I really don’t know if the Dorota/Chip scene is my least favorite, but it has definitely been scarred in my memory forever.
Would I recommend this movie?
Hmmm. If you do not like gross, bodily humor, this film is not recommended for sure. If you like Stavvy, this film is definitely for you. If you want to take your chance on a silly 90-minute comedy, I say go for it.
So What Does Allan Give It?
One Thumbs Up! Overall, a score of 51. The cringe is real and the film doesn’t have that much of a story, but I enjoyed it. If you watch it, get ready for a whole lotta Stavvy.
