I have been sitting on writing this review for well over a month now and that's for the sole reason that I genuinely loved this movie far more than I expected to and so far it is actually my favorite movie to come out of this year, at least that I've seen... but the problem is I don't exactly know how to gather up my thoughts to correctly explain why I thoroughly loved it as much as I did so I've just been dwelling on this for weeks on end now and I thought I might as well do it now. This is probably the most enjoyable experiences I've ever had watching a movie and I wholeheartedly didn't expect that in the slightest, but it all just worked out perfectly for me and I was entranced with every single second of it... Rudy Mancuso you are a genius. Speaking of Rudy Mancuso, he did pretty much all the insane heavy lifting for this film in my opinion.. for one this was his feature film directorial debut and it's a damn good one at that, he is the main lead of the film and he absolutely kills it in the role and is an insanely talented actor which I was not entirely expecting, and of course he also wrote the screenplay for the film plus he did all of the music present in the film himself which is very clearly the shining star in here and is what brings it all together in such an exquisitely engaging way. He truly has taken what he used to be perfect at, his little sketch comedy videos on YouTube, and translated them wonderfully to the world of film and it works so much better than anticipated. I've actually been a really big fan of Rudy Mancuso for quite a long time now, ever since I was a kid I would watch his Vine compilations on YouTube or his sketch videos he made with all of his friends... and of course his beautiful puppet videos which are referenced very heavily here, so I think I might be someone who likes this man a whole lot more than a lot of other people will but that definitely helped the love I came to acquire for this movie, as both my love for this man from everything else he's done plus the excellence that he crafted here combined into something I consider perfection in every way. So with all that together this really made for an amazing time watching a film and I haven't felt so invested in a movie in a surprisingly long time. Easily my favorite part of this movie lies in it's fantastic leading performances, obviously the one done by Mancuso himself which is inherently rich with character and emotion and might just be one of the most interesting characters I've ever seen on screen - but also his main love interest of the movie played by Camila Mendes who is pretty much everything I said about Mancuso's character but with an extra layer of overall depth that makes every singular scene she shares with her counterpart immensely intriguing and entertaining, due to both how well everything here is written but also just how great these two are both separately and together. That's not to say however that these two are the only ones who deliver excellence here, they're just the most notable, but the entirety of the supporting cast around them does as well; most notably Francesca Reale as Haley, Rudy's ex - and J. B. Smoove as Anwar who is hilarious and every scene with him was great. Although; that's not to say that's the only amazing thing about the movie because I definitely do not think that's the case like at all. The music in this movie is truly something incredible that I didn't see coming in the slightest, it's not a normal musical I would say but the way it uses it's music is amazing and really uplifts the film as a whole - there is so many scenes where the main character's synesthesia makes him hear everyday sounds formed into a rhythm leading a lot more scenes of instrumental music in this musical other than anything with vocals to back it - however there are a good amount of scenes here that do have vocals attached to them and they are really well done surprisingly. Genuinely some of the best pieces of music I've ever heard out of a film here that I cannot understate how enjoyable they all were, especially combined with the fantastic dance choreography it just worked so damn well. The final thing I want to comment on for this movie as of now is just the way it all looks as this really is one of the most visually appealing movies I've ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes upon. Every scene is filled with such an air of life and love that it's kind of impossible to dislike in my opinion, and the way Rudy frames the shots here and the way some all of it just visually looks it's awesome. There are is many really cool and unique shots present in this movie that has me constantly floored because I honestly didn't expect this level of detail from a first time filmmaker but Mancuso absolutely kills it here. There's a reoccurring gag where there is actually lyrics being sung and the lyrics themselves appear on the walls/ceiling around the main character and that's fairly simple but for some reason it just struck a chord in me and I inherently adored every time it was on screen. There's also a whole ton of times where there's some exquisite on screen transitions done where say a character falls on a bed but instead falls through it into waking up the next day, it's the little visual flair this movie has like that, that is what truly hooked me and I am immensely impressed with every minute detail present in this entire thing. It's very obvious by the fact this has been on my go favorites ever since I watched it despite every other spot being moved a lot, is number one on my 2024 ranking, and I've been yapping about it for a while here... I loved this movie and I desperately need to see more from the genius that is Rudy Mancuso. I can absolutely see why some people might not like this nearly as much as I did, especially since it is marketed as a musical and doesn't really have many musical elements to it, but for some reason unbeknownst to even myself this movie hit me on a very deep level and I thoroughly enjoyed every second I spent with it. It's incredibly well directed, well written, well shot, well acted, and of course really well portrayed. I definitely recommend this movie if my constant praise so far hasn't been a clear enough depiction of that, don't expect something Oscar worthy or anything (although I do think the music here is the best I've heard all year), but it really is just a supremely fun time that's consistently engaging to watch and has a whole ton of things to like about it.. this isn't going to be for everyone but it was most definitely for me and I suggest seeking it out for yourself to see if maybe you'll end up feeling the same way. Peak.
