Cottage Country (UK DVD)
Gareth Jones
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Starring Tyler Labine, Malin Akerman, Lucy Punch, Dan Petronijevic
Directed by Peter Wellington
Distributed by Bulldog Film Distribution
In Peter Wellington’s pitch black horror-comedy Cottage Country, lovebirds Todd (Labine) and Cammie (Akerman) set off for some much needed relaxation time at Todd’s family cabin. Situated far out in the woods and next to a wonderful lake, it’s the perfect spot for Todd to not only forget about the stresses of his job, but also pop the question to Cammie.
Things don’t exactly go to plan, however, when Todd’s free-spirited (read: hippy freeloader) brother, Salinger (Petronijevic), and his sullen Russian girlfriend, Masha (Punch), turn up unexpectedly and throw a spanner in the works.
Frustrated by the situation and henpecked by Cammie, Todd’s stress levels soar – resulting in a physical altercation with his brother that sees Salinger take the business end of an axe to the neck. After covering up the killing, Todd reveals all to Cammie… but she isn’t willing to give up her planned future of marriage and kids – so Masha has to go, too.
That still isn’t the end of things, though. After disposing of the bodies, the pair return to the cabin to find a party is happily under way – a party full of friends invited by Salinger, who are naturally curious as to his whereabouts. Soon, the body count begins to mount, and Todd’s fragile grip on sanity starts to slip, with attention from both the police and his parents piling on.
Cottage Country is a film very much in the same vein as Peter Berg’s 1998 comedy-shocker Very Bad Things, but presented on a much smaller scale. Labine and Akerman are convincing as an ill-fated couple, feeling like an odd pair from the very beginning. There’s an immediate underlying sense of Cammie’s controlling nature that gradually works its way to the surface as she dictates plans to the slowly crumbling Todd – himself the kind of wet blanket for whom the proceedings are, quite literally, a waking nightmare.
The big problem with Cottage Country is that while the two leads inhabit their roles very well (Labine is, quite frankly, perfectly cast), the characters themselves are infinitely less interesting than the players that surround them. Salinger and Masha provide much of the initial laughs through their standout characters and actually continue to do so once they’re dead and gone. Actor Benjamin Ayres threatens to steal the entire show with his appearance as Orthodox Jew Dov Rosenberg, who sets about grilling Todd and Cammie as to Sal’s whereabouts, countering their every explanation with an objection or further questioning to hilarious effect. Alas, staying on the same form as the film does with Sal and Masha, he’s gone from the picture far too quickly.
Otherwise, the comedic aspects of the film are situational and subdued – too much on many occasions. When it gets it right, Cottage Country really gets it right, but it often finds itself treading unstable ground, flitting between comedy, horror and thriller without figuring out how to blend them all together into that perfect stew. Given the intimate size of the film, it also lacks the sense of out-of-control escalation that made Very Bad Things as entertainingly unpredictable as it is.
That’s most certainly not to say that Cottage Country lacks its share of surprises, though, sporting a few well-placed shocks and an ending that most will certainly not see coming. It’s a fun watch, but whilst it’s nigh-on impossible to tire of Tyler Labine when he’s on form as good as this, there’s an inescapable feeling of missed opportunity behind the whole endeavour.
Still, Cottage Country gets a recommendation for being an enjoyable ride. It’s time well spent – just don’t expect to be laughing your ass off throughout.
Having spent a couple of years looking for distribution on this side of the pond, Cottage Country hits UK DVD and VOD via iTunes, Blinkbox, Google, Xbox and Virgin Movies On Demand courtesy of Bulldog Film Distribution. This review comes from a digital source, so DVD special features have not been reviewed.
https://youtu.be/1NHh96jJcko
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