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Jun 22, 2018 By Austin Trunick Web Exclusive

Waking up massively hungover in a stranger’s bed with her caterer’s uniform stained with either blood or red wine, professional hot mess Izzy (Mackenzie Davis) receives the news that her ex-boyfriend is throwing an engagement party on the far side of Los Angeles. Irrationally angry and hell-bent on breaking up their betrothal — Izzy’s convinced he’s meant to be with her — she cuts a chaotic path across the city, pulling friends and strangers unwillingly into her desperate mission.

Propulsive, kinetic, and unapologetically crass, Izzy feels like an indie film that would have been put out by Miramax in the early ‘90s, from its in-your-face soundtrack (Courtney Barnett and classic riot grrl acts) to its gratuitous splitscreen and characters’ tendency to fall into sudden, deep discussions of philosophy. It feels incredibly refreshing in practice; this sort of balls-to-the-wall, now-retro approach seems to have faded from indie films in recent decades. Raw and commanding, this is the sort of potential breakthrough role Davis has needed for years, and writer-director Christian Papierniak’s debut feature grows effectively bittersweet as it goes on. The ensemble includes small-but-memorable roles for Haley Joel Osment, Alia Shawkat, Lakeith Stanfield, and Thomas Lennon.

Author rating: 7.5/10