Con Job review (2024)
Con Job is a wild black comedy with an extra serving of darkness to make for one of 2024’s best comedies.
The film takes a brief moment to settle in — director/co-writer/star Ian Niles quickly establishes a plot framework in order to tear it down for the real premise. Once that’s locked in, Con Job becomes a very unpredictable ridiculously entertaining escapade.
Tim (Dean Edwards, Top Five) arrives back in the States after a long sabbatical overseas for his best friend Chris’ (Niles) bachelor party.
Completing the entourage are Jordan (Aaron Berg), Chris’ fitness obsessed intense personal trainer and Angus (Menuhin Hart), Tim’s estranged brother. Tim has a good reason for not looking forward to this reunion as Angus slept with his wife. But after a seemingly sincere apology, Tim is ready to let bygones be bygones and start over fresh again with Angus. This would definitely prove to be a mistake.
The chemistry with Niles, Hart, Edwards and Berg is solid enough that the initial opening act setup of a lower-budget version of The Hangover seems doable. Jordan certainly has that wild, unfiltered dialogue of Zach Galifianakis’ Wolf Pack wildcard Alan right down to his knack for taking all kinds of manner of illicit substances.
Initially, Jordan seems like he has the potential to go either way as a character — a quirky, likable chaos agent threatening to disrupt the otherwise calm bachelor party or an obnoxious presence who completely upends Con Job.
Yes, there’s some questionable choices like Jordan’s over the top antics including poorly animated CGI projectile vomiting and a weird exchange with the food delivery girl (Julia Claire Schweitzer), but Niles and co-writer Guy Harry navigate those early pitfalls decently.
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The real fun begins as the actual plot unfolds. Angus wants to sell his dead father’s property for a major windfall. He just needs to get Tim drunk enough to forge his signature and get it notarized.
Some of the best moments in Con Job are when Hart and Niles are bouncing off each other so easily it almost feels like a sensational improv. Their chemistry is impressive as they have the banter and comfort with one another to play scheming friends.
As the evening progresses, Angus and Chris’ plans keep getting increasingly complicated. While the plan is going haywire, Angus and Chris keep rolling in trying to pull off this huge Con Job.
Niles keeps the film’s momentum going with a fun assortment of characters popping in. There’s Evil Jeff (T.L. Flint who regularly steals the movie), police officer Mitchell (Crystal Ward) and Madison (Canning Robb), a beleaguered phone customer service operator.
Despite the occasional shockingly violent scene, Niles keeps the fun in Con Job rolling including some very hilarious running gags, spit take worthy moments and songs with lyrics tying into what’s going on in a particular scene. The Hangover influence is clearly there along with a little Very Bad Things as well.
Angus and Chris aren’t likable characters, but their antics and responses to a situation going totally sideways from their well-laid plans makes them very engaging leads.
Con Job has the random joke that doesn’t land, but it’s quickly peppered by a slew of stronger gags that definitely land.
It feels like 2024 was a great year for dark comedies. Con Job easily fits alongside the top of the genre with its excellent mix of characters and twists.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Photo Credit: Complex Corp.
You can check out Con Job now on Amazon Prime.
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