Making the transition from television to film can often be a challenge, but the cast of the American version of The Officewas able to adapt to the different medium and found great success. Steve Carell became an Academy Award-nominated star thanks to his transformative performance in Foxcatcher; John Krasinski proved himself an accomplished writer/director with A Quiet Place and its sequel; Ed Helms appeared in several major studio comedies, and even Rainn Wilson got the chance to play a superhero in James Gunn’s black comedy Super. Although he was always a fan-favorite on the series with his role as Ryan Howard, B.J. Novak announced himself as an impressive creative with Vengeance, a film that he wrote, directed, and starred in.
Novak may be best known for his work in front of the camera as Ryan, but he also showed talent as a writer on both The Office and The Mindy Project. He also assembled a surprising number of film credits, which included collaborations with such respected filmmakers as Quentin Tarantino, Judd Apatow, Shawn Levy, John Lee Hancock, and Paul Feig. There was certainly an opportunity for him to find a promising career as a character actor, but Novak created a thought-provoking directorial debut that explored journalistic ethics and the nature of crime reporting. Even if it retained some of the “cringe comedy” that had made The Office so popular, Vengeance was a surprisingly ambitious debut that allowed Novak to criticize his own privileges.
What Is ‘Vengeance’ About?
Novak stars in Vengeance as the New York City journalist Ben Manalowitz, who learns that his former fling Abby Shaw (Lio Tipton) died of an apparent drug overdose after receiving a call from her brother, Ty (Boyd Holbrook). Even though Ben never considered himself to be particularly close to Abby, he accepts Ty’s offer to join the family for the funeral proceedings that are held in Texas. Ben immediately sticks out like a sore thumb in the Lone Star State, but he begins to bond with Abby’s mother, Sharon (J. Cameron Smith), sisters Paris (Isabella Amara) and Kansas City (Dove Cameron), younger brother Mason (Eli Abrams Bickel), and Grandmother Carole (Louanne Stephens). Although Ben doesn’t want to admit that he and Abby didn’t have a particularly close relationship, his interest grows when Ty begins to suggest that his sister was murdered. Seeing an opportunity to flex his journalistic muscles, Ben decides to begin recording a podcast that follows the investigation, leading to the truth about what happened to Abby.
Novak gives a surprisingly nuanced performance, as Ben is a character of questionable ethics. While he is placed in an unfortunate situation, as he does genuinely want to help Abby’s family work through their grief, turning the investigation into a personal podcast project does mean that he is capitalizing on a tragic situation. Initially, Ben looks at the blue-collar, modest culture of Abby’s Texan family as a peculiar object of fascination, but he is surprisingly able to both respect and admire their lifestyle as he begins to learn more about them. Novak shows a real growth on Ben’s part, as his motivations begin to change once he learns about Abby’s dreams of making it in the music business. While at first he was only using the podcast to help promote his own career, he grows legitimately disturbed at how Abby was taken advantage of, and swears to find justice for her.
‘Vengeance’ Shows B.J. Novak’s Darker Abilities
Vengeance reveals itself to be a more complicated satire of the entertainment industry, as Ben learns that Abby’s talents attracted the attention of established professionals who wanted to capitalize on her potential stardom. Given his own experience in the industry, Novak constructs a scary exploration of how often media outlets take in young talent and cast them aside, as Ben relates to Abby even more after learning how much they had in common. Even if the podcast began as a self-serving endeavor, Ben finds that he is more comfortable working on something in which he has complete creative control and does not have to appease the ill-informed advice from his producer, Eloise (Issa Rae). However, Vengeance still has a streak of observational humor that comes from Ben’s acclamation to a culture that he had never experienced before. The film includes some great moments of Ben having to adapt to and accept aspects of Texas culture, including the prominence of the Whataburger fast food chain and the infamous football rivalry between Texas Tech and UT Austin.
Novak’s talents are best seen in his direction, but he also delivers an impressive performance, as Ben grows radicalized to the idea that he could help solve a case that had baffled the authorities. However, Vengeance also features an impressive ensemble cast of actors that realistically capture what it’s like to be in a traditional Texan family. Holbrook, in particular, is a standout, as a clever twist within the third act reveals that Ty was not as honest with Ben as it had initially seemed. Few fans of The Officewould have expected that, in the aftermath, Novak would go on to make a film inspired by Quentin Tarantino and the Coen brothers. However, Vengeance is a bold debut, and hopefully means that Novak can sustain an interesting career as a filmmaker.
Vengeance is available to stream on Peacock in the U.S.
