Broil Review: A Satisfying Meal With Meaty Characters Accompanied By Some Stellar Music

Release date: October 13, 2020
Running time: 90 minutes
Starring: Timothy V. Murphy, Jonathan Lipnicki, Avery Konrad

After a violent incident with a school nemesis, 17-year-old Chance Sinclair (Avery Konrad) is sent to live with her draconian grandfather (Timothy V. Murphy) at his lavish estate, where she soon uncovers a dangerous ancient family secret. Suddenly caught between warring factions of the family, her only hope for survival may well come from a killer-for-hire (Jonathan Lipnicki) with a fortuitous stroke of culinary genius.

Broil is definitely not going to be for everyone, but I really enjoyed this film.  It starts off with some great style.  An interesting use of color means that there are often red splashes on the screen in various ways.  It's not Insidious level of always having something red, but there is enough to notice it.  The film also has some religious undertones and has some religious symbols prominently placed throughout the film.  It also has a lot of history and uses historical artifacts to highlight this.  And this is made all the more apparent by the amazing house that the film mostly takes place in, which also lends an air of class and history to the family.  None of these touches are specifically called out, they are just included in the scene and it is up to the viewers to decide.  The film has a nice, simple shooting style that emphasizes the characters and the environment.  There isn't a lot of fast motion, this is a meal that is meant to be savored.  And the accompaniment to this meal is some amazing music.  From full, pounding bass to classical piano and violin pieces, Broil has a varied and wholly appropriate soundtrack.  The classical pieces especially serve a dual purposes of imparting an age to the family and a level of class.  

The main course of Broil is the Sinclair family and the various members of this messed up family unit.  Timothy V. Murphy does an amazing job as the patriarch of the Sinclairs, completely transforming into August Sinclair.  He changes his speech, his gait, and his mannerisms to play this role.  Corey Large as the "weird" uncle November Sinclair does a great job, though it is funny that he is slated as the weird one when the entire family has its issues.  Annette Reilly and Nels Lennarson as the parents to Chance Sinclair show their care for their daughter but also their place in this crazy family.  Avery Konrad as Chance is another standout, as someone who doesn't quite fit into the family and is trying to forge her own path.  And Alyson Bath as May Sinclair is another standout just for how crazy her character is.  In fact, all of the Sinclairs have their quirks and the cast did a great job of pulling this forward.  And lastly, Jonathan Lipnicki as The Chef was another person who transformed for this role.  Like Murphy, he changed his mannerisms, gait, and his entire persona for this role and it is a very effective change.

The story of this film has a lot of build up and starts off slowly, but I really the simmering nature of it.  It lets you savor all the characters and the overall situation, and allows you to get comfortable with this whole scenario.  Most importantly, the story is not predictable and ends with a satisfying ending, letting you come away from this meal fulfilled.  And the story build up is accompanied by some good dialog and sharp writing.  The story is told a little out of order, but I didn't have a hard time following everything that was going on.  However, possibly due to budget, or simply time, the film leaves some of the points and backstory unexplained.  And although the movie uses few CG effects and mostly relies on make up for its special effects, the CG it does use is a little distracting.  Thankfully this doesn't happen often and the other aspects of the film let you sit back and sink into this creative world.  

Broil is a feast for the senses, with meaty characters, a savory simmering style, and an accompaniment of sharp writing and full bodied music.

Watch it.

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Broil will be available physically, digitally, and on demand on October 13, 2020.  For additional information about the film and to rent / buy it, check it out at the links below.

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