Review: Becky: Special Edition

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

Becky
Directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion
Yale Productions; Bondit Media Capital; BoulderLight Pictures; Buffalo 8 Productions; Quiver Distribution; Redbox Entertainment; MVD Visual
93 minutes, 2020 / 2023
www.MVDVisual.com

I am actually kind of surprised this film came across my desk, as it were. It was a middle-sized release (as opposed to the low-budget indies I usually get to review) that played in theaters less than 20 years ago, and had some relatively name power in its cast that was not just cameos. The three biggest names are Mall Cop (2009) Kevin James playing against type (if this had been an LGBTQ theme, I would have said something about “King of Nazi Queens”), Joel Hale of “Community” taking a serious turn, and up-and-comer Lulu Wilson in the titular role, known mostly for “The Haunting of Hill House” (2018) mini-series, who was 13 at the time of Becky’s filming. There is also a ton of extras in this Blu-ray, which I will get to later.

Lulu Wilson, Joel McHale

After a full minute of production company credits, we are introduced to Becky being interviewed by the police, with the rest being in flashback. The jarring music that seems to be influenced by The Breeders’ “Last Splash,” is a nice transition to the main, dissonant story.

The direction and editing (by Alan Canant) of the opening sequence, which introduces both convict Dominick (James) and schoolgirl Becky (Wilson) is incredibly well done, as they flip back and forth to show that both are unconventional. For Dominick, it is violence for the White Nationalist Brotherhood cause, and for Becky, it is pretty easy to see that she is a bit disturbed, beyond being a teenager and that her mother (played by her real, uncredited, mom) recently died of cancer.

Wilson, Kevin James

What is also interesting to me is that both of these main characters are accompanied by two tall individuals: for Becky, it is her dad, Jeff (Hale), who is almost 6’4”, and for Dominick, it is fellow escaped inmate Apex (ex-professional wrestler Robert Maillet), who is almost 6’11”; he. should be pegged in the second season of “Wednesday” as Lurch

In this mixture of the cabin in the woods, home invasion, and revenge tale, Becky and Jeff go to their little home away from home in the middle of nowhere (filmed near Burlington, Ontario) to re-bond after their tragic events, with their dogs, Diego (looks like part bulldog and pitbull?) and Dora (corso). Joining them is Jeff’s “friend,” Kayla (Amanda Brugel, another television actor known for a comic role as the minister on “Kim’s Convenience”) and her young son Ty (Isaiah Rockcliffe, who seems almost superfluous to the story). Becky is not too pleased; this soon after her mom passing, honestly, I don’t blame her. And with Kayla and Ty being people of color, I am sure that is not going to go well when, knock, knock, guess who is at the door? Well, it ain’t the fairy godmother.

Amanda Brugel

The other two escapees bringing up the rear are non-Brotherhood members Cole (Ryan McDonald) and Hammond (Lane McDougall). Like much of the cast, these two guys are Canadian. Bad for the cabiners, great for Becky’s body count. Once she gets her knitted teddy bear huntin’ hat on, she means business as something inside her mind snaps. Speaking of which, all things considered that this was a theatrical release with some actors known for comedy, it is pretty damn gruesome.

All 5’ of Becky becomes a killin’ machine as she goes up against the four killers who are in search for something that was left in the cabin before they went to jail nearly a decade before, and they are determined to get it at any means. But Becky has other plans.

Other reviewers have compared Becky to Kevin in Home Alone (1990), but whereas the extreme violence against the two crooks were played for laughs (though it would have killed them in real life), Becky is more determined not to harm them, but to end their lives. And she is on the brink enough to go for that desire.

Robert Maillet

For the aforementioned extras, which there are many, it has introductions to the film from directors Jonathan Milott (19 sec) and Cary Murnion (13 sec). They don’t really say anything in that short amount of time to make it worthwhile, but they make up for it with the featurette ‘Two Heads are Better than One: Directing Becky with Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion’ (41 min). Filmed separately, they show how they work together, from inception through all the other usual aspects of filmmaking, such as casting, music, SFX and other anecdotes to keep it interesting.

A couple of short but decent interviews are “No Laughing Matter with Joel McHale” (14 min) and “The Fight of her Life with Lulu Wilson” (14 min). Well, it is more of them individually sitting in chairs and talking, but both bring something to their stories, be it humor and/or some level of innocence yet strength in Wilson’s case. Then there are the two Fan Art Galleries and Behind-the-Scenes Photo Galleries

The last biggie is the full Audio Commentary with actress Lulu Wilson and co-screenwriters Ruckus and Lane Skye. While it is mostly interesting, the sound level is a bit low and occasionally distorted, so it is hard to make out in parts. Unfortunately, this is a common problem on commentaries with three or more people. On the technical side, this Blu-ray has 5.1 Surround and 2.0 Stereo Lossless DTS-HD Master Audio, and a 1080p High Definition Widescreen Presentation (2.39:1)

While the cinematography by Greta Zozula is beautifully shot, my one negative comment is that the cellar and night scenes, especially near the end, are just a bit too dark for my old, tired eyes….and my television.

There are so many actors that are popular for their comic roles, but I find they excel in high drama, like Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, and even someone who I think is horrible on the funny side but quite good on the dramatic end, Adam Sandler (let’s see how well egocentric and unhumorous Pete Davidson is at portraying Joey Ramone). This is true for both Joel Hale and especially Kevin James, whose previous roles have been more goofy than funny (again, Paul Blart, Mall Cop).

I can see her stringed hat, and yellow and black striped shirt becoming a cosplay subject, or a Halloween costume. Meanwhile, upcoming later this year is The Wrath of Becky. It has big shoes to fill, but I believe it is capable.

IMDB listing HERE