There’s a moment nearly an hour into Don’t Trip which, given the alleged actions of one Hollywood nepo baby this week, made me gasp out loud.
Coincidence, yes, but disconcerting, especially as the ‘nepo baby nightmare’ we see here concerns a drug addicted, violent, and psychotic child of a Jewish family.
However … in this deep black comedy-thriller Dev (Matthew Sato) is an aspiring filmmaker trying to get his script seen in Hollywood. When he identifies a key producer a plan forms, and a way seems clear through his child’s influence
Trip (Will Sennett), the name of the son, is eccentric, odd, and an extremely bad poet (“I Didn’t Eat Her Brains” is one example). There’s also an unsettling mystery that Dev chooses to ignore, but is Trip useful enough to risk the worst?
Writer/director Alex Kugelman keeps the tension high with some quick shockers and a decent script. It asks both what ambitious people will do for fame, and how those with money and connections protect those who do bad things.
The cinematography is excellent, whether in an impromptu camping trip or the confines of a basement. As Don’t Trip is largely a two-hander, other characters are simply peripheral, but well-cast.
Cheerfully gory in parts, and psychologically dramatic in others, Don’t Trip offers uneasy laughter while making us believe that the story could so easily come true.
Sennett never overplays his hand, or makes Trip feel ridiculous; nor does his acting evoke any sympathy for the uber-rich trapped in the shadow of celebrity. We hear time and again of nepo babies going off the rails.
This isn’t a film I would have sought out, so thanks go to Kugelman for bringing his film to my attention.
Don’t Trip is currently available to view on Tubi US. You can find more information on its Kickstarter page.