Patrick Brice‘s previous films “Creep” and “The Overnight” uncovered the potential of a darker side of the mumblecore genre. Though his films are cut from the same cloth of the films of Mark Duplass or Joe Swanberg, Brice finds the menace and paranoia in human intimacy and social interaction. Brice’s comedy is mired in the ever-battling anxieties and curiosities of the unknown variables of interpersonal relationships. With “The Overnight” in particular, Brice zeroes in on a couple’s pervading insecurities about exploring the boundaries of their own sexual fidelity, weaving genuine pathos and empathy into a fabric of comedic discomfort.
Brice’s films are categorized by a slow descent into chaos as the mounting sense of anxiety coming to a head. Looking at the films that influenced him, it is clear that Brice is interested in using genre convention as a Trojan horse for his discomforting view on the most difficult sides of human connection. His newest film “Corporate Animals” looks to continue this form with a story of a fascistic CEO (Demi Moore) and her disgruntled assistants who find themselves trapped together as their corporate bonding caving trip goes horribly awry.
In our not-so-complimentary review of the film from Sundance, we said, “Unfortunately, ‘Corporate Animals’ barely registers chuckles and its failure to appropriately skewer the corporate retreat and all its phony ideas of family and organizational harmony, is just a huge missed opportunity.”
Here’s the official synopsis:
Lucy (Demi Moore) is the delusional CEO of a struggling startup aimed at millennials. In her infinite wisdom, Lucy leads her staff, including her long-suffering assistants Jess (Jessica Williams) and Freddie (Karan Soni), on a team-building retreat in the caves of New Mexico led by an overeager guide (Ed Helms). When disaster strikes and the food runs out, mandatory office bonding becomes a lot more… appetizing.
“Corporate Animals” will hit theaters and VOD on September 20.