The romantic comedy is a genre as long and storied as the format of film itself. And the idea of interjecting meet-cutes and romantic tales with a strong throughline of absurdist comedy is almost as old. From classics such as “It Happened One Night” to “Bringing Up Baby” to “What’s Up Doc” to modern favorites like “There’s Something About Mary” to “The Wedding Singer” to “Down with Love.” Despite the prevalence, the genre has somewhat petered off in recent years, which makes the arrival of “Splitsville,” a screwball rom-com with an emphasis on the screwiness, so enticing.
The film follows two couples of best friends; newlyweds Carey and Ashley, played by Kyle Marvin (“The Climb,” “WeCrashed”) and Adria Arjona (“Hit Man (2023),” “Andor”) respectively, and the long-married Paul and Julie, played by Michael Angelo Covino (“The Climb,” “News of the World”) and Dakota Johnson (“Fifty Shades of Grey,” “Materialists”) respectively. After Ashley confesses that she has been unfaithful and wants a divorce, Carey runs to find solace with Paul and Julie. While confiding to them, he learns that they’re in an open relationship and that it has saved their marriage, leading Carey to forgive Ashely and opening up their relationship. All seems well, until their increasingly changing relationships and friendships begin to put even more absurd strains on their lives.
While not so absurd as to involve the destruction of buildings or vehicles, “Splitsville” does maintain a very specific brand of absurdist screwball comedy. It’s refreshingly blunt in the crudeness of the way these relationships fall apart and build back up. Covino and Marvin co-wrote the script, with Covino directing, and the tale they build offers welcome opportunities for cartoonish levels of delusion and forgiveness from both sexes. It's equal opportunity absurdity, on a large and small scale, letting everybody have their moment of fun. A surprise appearance from Nicholas Braun (“Succession,” “Sky High”) is the cherry on top of a supporting cast of character actors completely game to throw themselves into these minor parts for the sake of humor.
Marvin is a great everyman kind of lead, keeping an almost boyish charm and naivety about him without devolving into being stupid. Arjona likewise is a great counterpart, bordering on a femme fatale kind of persona while also letting a hopeless romantic side out in a simply screwy way. Covino is wonderfully easy to hate, the closest thing the film has to an antagonist. He’s the sort of character who feels completely punchable and commits to his own mustache twirling sense of self-importance. Johnson is the closest thing the film has to a straight man, but even she gets into plenty of silliness as things get more ridiculous. Even when she is tempered down, she continues her post “Fifty Shades” trend of showing her excellent comedic talents.
Beyond the exceptionally high density of jokes and screwball humor, what makes Covino and Marvin’s script so perfect is how easily it gets you invested in these characters. It’s not hard to imagine another version of this film that doubles down on the humor and treats the characters simply as joke vehicles and punching bags. But by zeroing in on their relationships and finding the humor through them, instead of using them, it lets them flourish. The third act, while containing plenty of comedic Chekov guns, is also packed with moments of genuine emotional realism. It feels poignant and ridiculously silly at the same time, without either aspect cheapening the other.
“Splitsville” is certainly a riot, and it’ll be a great comedic adventure for anyone looking for an excuse to laugh. Far more harebrained than your average studio comedy, by doubling down on its characters’ arcs and screwiness, it lets the film grow into a genuinely excellent piece of modern comedic filmmaking. Even if you don’t buy those aspects though, it’s still an exceptionally crafted anti-rom-com and simply just a very funny movie. 4.5/5
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