Chris Skotchdopole’s very impressive directorial debut, Crumb Catcher, is a slow descent into absurdist thrills. The rare new entry in the honeymoon horror sub-genre of romantic thriller, home of RedBox classics like A Perfect Getaway (2009), Crumb Catcher trades the traditional fear of strangers you befriend on vacation for the fear of the people who staff your wedding, and the anxiety of talking to someone who won’t shut up. Essentially a three-hander with one supporting player, the film is anchored by three astonishing performances from actors I or the film probably have the pleasure of announcing to you for the first time. The married couple are played by Rigo Garay (Blackout; The Leech) and Ella Rae Peck (Young Adult; Blackout). He’s an up-and-coming author, she works at his publisher. He comes from a rough upbringing and not a lot of money. She’s got mommy’s money. Both their parents suck. From the word “go,” the writer is making up his own narrative and she’s wielding wealth to smooth everything over. Quickly we realize we can count only three things as fact: his book is true, their love is true, and their waiter will not stop talking.
“May I present…the crumb catcher. It’s a conversation piece!”
Independent horror icon John Speredakos (Wendigo; Inside Man) plays a waiter who will not let the conversation end. Maybe he’s crazy, maybe he’s just on the spectrum and can’t tell when people have lost interest. We first meet him when he hunts down the newlyweds the morning after the wedding to apologize for losing their cake topper, which they didn’t even want. Later that night, at the secluded mountain retreat they’re borrowing for their honeymoon, he appears, cake topper in hand. Then, he asks to pitch them on his latest invention, the titular crumb catcher.
L-R: Ella Rae Peck and Rigo Garay in CRUMB CATCHER. Photo courtesy of Doppelgänger Releasing.
If you’ve ever invented something, let me tell you, there are few things more mortifying than being on either end of the sales pitch. As a filmmaker, Skotchdopole knows the process well himself and directs the central set piece with aplomb. In what may be my second favorite dialogue set piece of the year (beaten only by another sales pitch in Rysusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist), the absurdity of the film shifts into next gear. Speredakos is operating on another level as a desperate man with no self-awareness or restraint trying to play the part of the rich man he dreams of becoming. But Rigo Garay’s soon-to-be published author has no money, and Ella Rae Peck’s rich daughter doesn’t have it on-hand either. Crumb Catcher is the nightmare of class ascension made physical. Beyond the hilarious futility of the crumb catcher invention, its sales pamphlet is one of the funniest things I’ve encountered in film this year, highlighting how decades of attempts to capture the vote of the working class have obfuscated and twisted the idea of class solidarity into a nightmare where the only way to raise a ship is to sink another instead of raising the tide together. While the best word to describe the newlywed’s honeymoon love scene is “adorable”, their love cannot escape class ascension either. Their marriage contract mirrors their work contract and they are both using each other to improve their station. They are doing what, in theory, is best, putting a lock in the canal and riding the tide together, but the events that spiral out of their encounter with their wedding staff put all of this to the test. It’s a tight, gripping script.
L-R: John Speredakos in CRUMB CATCHER. Photo courtesy of Doppelgänger Releasing.
Praising Crumb Catcher would be a futile exercise if I neglected to mention the standout work of cinematographer Adam Carboni (Cupids) whose precise eye and visceral camera movements take the film to another weight class. While I loved independent films like Ghostlight and Janet Planet this year, there has been a plague of naturalism among new filmmakers, often driven by budget and trend rather than cinematic synergy. Carboni, on the other hand, is a largely commercial cinematographer and documentary filmmaker. Their dynamic work brings a level of polished sophistication not often seen at this level, and they got several fist pumps in the air out of me. It’ll look stellar on the big screen.
L-R: Ella Rae Peck and Rigo Garay in CRUMB CATCHER. Photo courtesy of Doppelgänger Releasing.
Opening on July 19th in NC for a quick run at AMC Carolina Pavillion 22 in Charlotte and at AMC Concord Mills 24 a little farther east, Crumb Catcher is a cinematic investment that film fans will regret passing up. This crew is one to watch.
In select theaters beginning July 19th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Music Box Films Crumb Catcher webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: Films To Watch, In Theaters, Recommendation, Reviews
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