Perpetually connected journalist New Yorker and unrepentant heartthrob, Ben dreams of creating a “significant” podcast. It’s that Ben feels he has something to say. What, exactly? It is secondary: the fact is that he would sell father and mother for an increase in notoriety. But now, because of an imbroglio, Ben finds himself in a Texan hamlet, where an old conquest has just succumbed to an overdose. Convinced that it is a murder, the brother of the deceased squad Ben who, suddenly, holds his subject of podcast. Between tragicomedy and satire, Revengeby BJ Novak, examines the obsession with podcasts in general, and with “ true crime in particular, in addition to exploring a myriad of societal ills.
Discovered in the American version of the series The Office, which he co-produced, co-wrote and co-directed, in addition to playing in it, BJ Novak brilliantly embodies Ben. Ben who, it appears, has no memory of the missing woman so much that one wonders for a while if he might not be the victim of an elaborate scam. But no: he is indeed the type to spend several evenings and nights with a young woman, and then retain no memory of her, not even her first name.
Unsympathetic from the start, then, with his narcissistic individualism, his pompous theories about “America” and his blind condescension, Ben gradually exhibits a depth, contradictions, and finally, an empathy that make him a captivating protagonist.
Similarly, Novak delights in defying expectations with the family of Abilene, the victim, first presenting the clan as a bunch of uneducated but endearing cranks, before establishing that these a priori do not correspond in the least to reality. In doing so, the screenwriter and director not only confronts Ben with his prejudices, but the public as well.
A complex identity
Lio Tipton is poignant as Abilene, a virtual ghost seen in videos filmed during his lifetime. An aspiring singer-songwriter, she had “something to say”. Without overdoing it, Novak uses these passages to give a real emotional foundation to his film, which otherwise would have been more of a pure comedy; it works admirably.
Some exchanges, notably between Ben and Abilene’s mother (J. Smith-Cameron, from the series Successionis wonderful), have a similar effect, especially in the more serious third act.
In this respect, the film follows an atypical curve. Initially, humor in all its vast spectrum, from the good-natured to the sardonic, dominates. Then, the dramatic elements accumulate as the film reveals, like the characters, a more complex identity than anticipated.
Another fascinating aspect: the quasi-documentary dimension, combined with very relevant ethical considerations, for everything related to the conception and production of the podcast. As a brilliant producer who is believed to be devoid of scruples but who, oh surprise, is endowed with a conscience, Issa Rae is also fabulous. Ditto for Ashton Kutcher, a local musical producer focused on philosophical tirades.
The notion of accountability
Ultimately, the film does not seek so much to identify the culprit, because as long as we take the trouble to observe, this question is quickly settled (as in Maigret, also on view). In fact, what really seems to interest Revengeit is the notion of imputability: that of Ben as much as that of the said culprit.
Which doesn’t prevent the film from culminating in a gripping finale where, unlike at the start, we stop laughing. In doing so, BJ Novak is saying something meaningful about “America,” the small miracle being that in his case, it doesn’t sound pompous at all.