When a fatal car crash interrupts a spontaneous moment of intimacy between married couple Ashley (Adria Arjona) and Carey (Kyle Marvin) and prompts the former to announce that she wants a divorce, it’s clear that the pair are ‘headed for Splitsville’, as the saying goes. The opening credits roll as a stunned Carey bolts from the car and traverses – hilariously – fields, forests and rivers to seek sanctuary at the swanky beach house owned by his childhood best friend, Paul (Michael Angelo Covino, who also directed and co-wrote the film) and his wife, Julie (Dakota Johnson). The rest of the film continues in this uproariously funny vein, with jokes flying constantly throughout its 105-minute runtime.
Paul is an NYC real estate bro and Julie is an independent pottery business owner, and together they try to comfort the shaken Carey. Divorce isn’t so bad, they say, when, as in Carey and Ashley’s case, there are no kids or money involved, and neither for that matter are open relationships – Paul and Julie reveal they are ‘not monogamous’ and claim to place their emotional and spiritual connection above the physical. Though initially sceptical of this, Carey opens his mind to the idea and the following night, he sleeps with Julie while Paul is away working in New York. Unable to keep it a secret, though, he tells Paul the next morning, resulting in a ten-minute fight of slapstick proportions, which is a highlight of the film. Slaps and punches escalate to eyebrow scorching and stair tumbles as the two brawl their way around the expensively furnished home, destroying tables, walls, windows and more along the way. If it wasn't already clear that this is a comedy about male pride, this display of battling egos drives that point home.
