Eric Jungmann – Cut To The Chase

Directed By: Christopher Leone

Written By: Christopher Leone and Patrick Pianezza

Cinematography: Mark Williams

Editor: Jay Friedkin

Cast: Rainn Wilson, Lil Rel Howery, Aimee Carrero, Yvette Nicole Brown, Rob Riggle, Page Kennedy, Xolo Mariduena, Andy Milder, Eric Jungmann

Follows a paramedic that is so burnt-out by the job that he is forcing himself to resign, however, he first must embark on one last 24-hour shift to train his replacement.

It’s a premise that sounds simple, but it slowly reveals more weight than you might expect.

This film arrived quietly, with little fanfare, but it ends up being one of those low-key discoveries you’re genuinely glad you stumbled upon.

In some ways, this feels like a gentler, less nightmarish cousin to BRINGING OUT THE DEAD. Our lead has been in this life so long that chaos is second nature, even as it’s clearly hollowing him out. He frequently breaks the fourth wall, letting us in on his internal monologue and dropping bits of EMT trivia that feel funny, sad, and revealing all at once.

Most of the film lives inside that single shift. riding along with his partner and trainee as they move from call to call. We see the patients, the downtime, the doctors, the red tape, the absurdity, and the quiet exhaustion that comes with a job where the world’s worst moments are just another stop on the route.

Just when the film seems like it’s going to stay light, it takes a darker turn, then eases back again. That tonal push and pull feels intentional, mirroring how life works when you think you’ve hit your breaking point, only to realize you still have to keep going. And somehow, the film finds room for hope without forcing it.

It’s not a gory movie, but it can hit hard. Rainn Wilson is excellent in the lead, fully proving his range as a character actor. Lil Rel Howery gets to stretch into more dramatic territory while still landing the humor. You could call this a buddy comedy, but the partnership is already fully formed when the movie begins, and the film is more interested in the cracks and complexities than the setup.

There’s also a strong streak of Kafkaesque frustration running through the story, systems that don’t make sense, problems that pile up, and no easy way out. Yet despite all that, this is a surprisingly emotional and good-hearted film.

As dark as it wants to be, it can’t help but let some light in. It’s a bit of a pick-me-up, even if you have to wade through some mud to earn it. It may not seem special at first glance, but if you stay with it, the charm reveals itself.

Grade: B

Directed By: Joel Gallen
Written By: Michael G. Bender, Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson, Phil Beauman & Buddy Johnson
Cinematography: Reynaldo Villalobos
Editor: Steven Welch

Cast: Chris Evans, Chyler Leigh, Jaime Pressly, Eric Christian Olsen, Mia Kirshner, Samm Levine, Ron Lester, Joanna Garcia, Sam Hunnington, Randy Quaid, Lacey Chabert, Eric Jungmann, Cody McMains, Nectar Rose, Samaire Armstrong, Beverly Polcyn, Ed Lauter, Paul Gleason, Mr. T, Molly Ringwald, Cerina Vincent

A sendup of all the teen movies that have accumulated in the past two decades. After breaking up with his girlfriend, Priscilla, a popular jock, Jake Wyler makes a bet with his friends that he can’t make ‘ugly girl’ Janey Briggs into prom queen. After spending more and more time with Janey, Jake really starts to think whether he wants to keep the bet on or not.

The first thing you’ll notice about this movie is that it looks ugly. The sets, the film everything looks washed out but still dirty, heaped, and grungy. One remembers how heavily this was advertised primarily by MTV at the time

The scenes never look Natural or even nice looking. The actors look like they have either bad hair dye jobs or bad wigs. The actors are all obviously too old to play teenage characters though that is part of the spoofing.

While this film has Its moments and makes a point here and there nailing its targets it still needs a major overhaul. A lot of jokes seem repetitive and are not clever, they are nasty. Just to be nasty. The film is not as smart as it likes to think it is.

The film feels like a rushed product. Like it is speeding along not aware of its Many flaws. As it seems fast and loose and doesn’t pay any respect or seem to have more than a general understanding of the films it is parodying.

The cast is likable but this film will only serve you with a few chuckles, but hardly a laugh. Even as a spoof this film needed to be better thought out. Like THE SIMPSONS or the NAKED GUN series of films. Which could be lowbrow and funny but still had a lot of well-thought-out and set-up jokes.

One of the good things in this movie is a lockable cast. Especially actress Chyler Leigh as the female lead. She is the only thing that shines bright in the pit of despair of this film. Also the abundant nudity of actress Cerina Vincent as the foreign exchange student. Which is like a work of art itself. On the opposite spectrum, it is sad to see Randy Quaid in this film. As he is a better actor than the material and he gives a bad performance. Then again he doesn’t have that much to work with.

Just like the characters, it highlights the film seems a bit too juvenile as it is obsessed with sex and nudity. Of course, the characters are but it feels like that is the main interest of the film Also. Which leaves it for only a certain kind of audience

When it comes to spoofing. Too many go for the easy jokes that they are supposed to be about, but a truly strung spoof will somehow raise above what they are spoofing to be a strong comedy in their own right and that seems to be a rarity. This is why when it comes to films such as these they never rise above a certain level

I can give the film credit that it hits all of its marks, but unfortunately not in a very clever way and all the cruder. At least not as bad as it seemed like a lot of spoof movies at the time that just tried to be year-end send-ups of whatever was popular or trending, this was better as it was more focused but barely. That seems to have needed a team of comedy writers to make skits and sketches and form into a story

Grade: D+

Tag: Eric Jungmann

CODE 3 (2025)

NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE (2001)