SXSW 2017: A Bad Idea Gone Wrong

Best friends Marlon (Matt Jones) and Leo (Will Rogers) have dreamed of pulling off a big time heist for years. Leo says that he's found the perfect place; a large house inside a gated, security heavy community. They get in the house and almost immediately accidentally arm the security system, locking themselves inside. The criminal duo spend the next few days searching the house for loot and attempting to find a way to escape before the owners are back from their vacation. Along the way they befriend a woman, Darcy (Eleanore Pienta), who also happened to break in and Marlon discovers that the house they've broken into isn't as random a find as he had been told.

The main thing that A Bad Idea Gone Wrong is missing is a sense of excitement. There are twists and turns to be found, but none of them truly pop. Every plot development and joke is presented with a low energy that makes it difficult to muster more than a half-hearted chuckle every now and then. The jokes almost feel like they were only halfway written yet filmed anyway. One step further on just a few of them and there would be plenty of laughs. Too many times in the movie's short runtime I found myself filling out the rest of the jokes in my head.

Matt Jones has already proven his comedic prowess with his supporting performances in Breaking Bad and every sitcom made in the last seven years. He has a few frustrated bickering moments with Rogers that aren't quite perfect, but should provide a laugh nonetheless. While he does end up being the most fun aspect of the movie, it's the relationship between Darcy and Leo that ends up being the most interesting. Leo is unwilling to commit, still reeling from a previous relationship. He and Darcy have a will-they-won't-they that is surprisingly engaging. Pienta and Rogers actually impress with their performances. I was unfamiliar with either before heading in, and I came away wanting to see more from them both.