Spin Me Round (2022) Movie Review
Buckle up, for one of the weirdest movies of 2022. I should have known it would be wild with director Jeff Baena at the helm. His last movie was called Horse Girl (2020) which was as odd as it sounds. Spin Me Round starts off relatively normal. Amber (Alison Brie) works for a run of the mill pasta restaurant chain that very closely resembles Olive Garden. You can practically hear them saying, “When you’re here you’re family” when Amber is at work in the opening scenes. Amber is extremely good at her job and is rewarded with an all expenses-paid trip to the restaurant company’s culinary institute in Italy.
When she arrives in Italy, she’s devastated to find that the trip is vastly different from the one that was described. They aren’t staying at a gorgeous villa but at a somewhat dingy motel. The “trainings” take place in a random room with a hodgepodge of cooking materials. It’s not exactly the luxurious trip Amber was expecting. The one bright spot is that she gets to meet the owner of the restaurant chain, Nick (Alessandro Nivola). Things aren’t exactly what they seem with Nick either, providing yet another disappointment for Amber. The relatively normal story devolves into absolute chaos as the movie progresses. Things fall apart slowly piece by piece in the most bizarre fashion. I won’t spoil what goes wrong but it involves feral wild boars and a large group orgy that will give you Eyes Wide Shut (1999) vibes. Nothing will prepare you for the ending so just enjoy the ride.
The best part of the movie is hands down Aubrey Plaza who plays Nick’s assistant, Kat. She befriends Amber and is easily the most interesting character. She’s only in the movie for about 15 minutes but I wish she had been more of a focal point. Plaza and Brie’s chemistry sizzles and I’ll be waiting eagerly for some type of buddy comedy featuring the two actors soon. This movie definitely won’t be for everyone, but if you’ve seen Baena’s movies before and enjoyed them then chances are you’ll like this one. The high points were Plaza and Brie but a supporting cast of kooky characters featuring the hilarious Molly Shannon and Zach Woods will keep you entertained and guessing what exactly will happen next.
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You like Jeff Baena’s previous movies
2. You love Alison Brie
3. You like chaotic movies that you can watch while you’re not sober
