Crumb Catcher, 2024.
Written and Directed by Chris Skotchdopole.
Starring Rigo Garay, Ella Rae Peck, John Speredakos, Lorraine Farris, Rebecca Watson, Eddie Castillo, David Macke, and Kyle Mumford.
SYNOPSIS:
A newlywed couple is held captive in a remote lake house by a maniacally optimistic inventor and his sour wife who are desperate to finance his dream project with a half-baked blackmail plot.
There is always that one person interloping, and for newly married couple Shane and Leah (played by Rigo Garay and Ella Rae Peck, respectively) in writer and debut director Chris Skotchdopole’s Crumb Catcher, it is a waiter at the wedding reception the night before, irate and aggressively apologizing on behalf of whoever lost their cake. He vows the situation will be rectified, talking their ears off for far too long when all they want to do is drive off to their honeymoon cabin.
There are also some details given about the couple, such as that they work in publishing and writing, with Shane having recently finished a memoir about growing up with an alcoholic father, not too proud of the book and talking as if he doesn’t want it out there in the wild as to disrespect his estranged parent. The only problem is that if he does get cold feet on publishing the book, that would make Leah look bad; she has worked hard to rise to the ranks of her occupation. There is also the question of, if they do love each other, is she taking advantage of his traumatic upbringing for her success? Nevertheless, it’s apparent that someone should have voiced an objection before these two officially tied the knot.
Anyway, after an attempt to unwind, relax, and make love while enjoying this peaceful getaway, that employee comes barging in with the cake. Played by John Speredakos, he takes the character to some demented places; his name is John, and, quite frankly, he won’t shut up. Part of his reason for stalking these two is that he is looking for a financier on his invention, the titular crumb catcher, designed for patrons to sweep away their dinner crumbs rather than having waiters interrupt the conversation. The whole concept intentionally makes no sense because John is a nutty madman.
For reasons I won’t spoil here, Shane is blackmailed into caring and considering funding mass production of the device, much to Leah’s reasonable chagrin. She has no idea why he has dropped all control of the situation. Still, she presumes it may have something to do with their ongoing arguments about the previously mentioned book. It’s also worth pointing out that John has brought his wife, Rose (Lorraine Farris), who might be as irrational and demented as him.
Written by Chris Skotchdopole and based on the story conceived by him, horror veteran Larry Fessenden, and Rigo Garay (Philip Aceto serves as a story consultant), Crumb Catcher gracefully escalates not just in intensity but from genre to genre, starting off as something more character focused before spiraling into all-out madness and violent chases. As such, this also allows John Speredakos to transform the character of John with likewise precision. He starts off as well-meaning, eager for anyone to listen to his entrepreneurial ideas, and then desperate for financial support even if it means letting loose a ruthless side.
A problem is that Crumb Catcher never successfully does much with its characterization, even hinting at intriguing dynamics between John and Rose that go nowhere. Then there is the inciting incident for the blackmail, which also feels mishandled for several reasons. The recurring issue here is that the film shows no interest in grappling with the deeper conversations to be had about any of these characters and their motives or strained relationships.
However, what’s eye-rolling is that the quirky crumb catcher creation solely seems to exist in the film as a metaphor for Leah cleaning up after Shane’s messes. Similarly, one could probably apply the same train of logic to John and Rose. It aligns with Crumb Catcher as a film in that every idea is underexplored or on the nose. In other words, there needed to be a device catching what wasn’t working here. There are solid starting points for character dynamics, but the film is more successful as an unhinged rollercoaster of chaos.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
