Filled with charm, Adventures of Success at times works wonderfully, but even with fleshed out and interesting characters, led by Lexie Mountain, there are some issues as the film stutters in the middle. Regardless there is a lot to enjoy with Jay Buim’s movie.
Led by a mystical female founder Peggy (Lexie Mountain), a cult masquerading as a wellness startup settles in the Catskills to build community and practice a ritual called Jilling Off. They believe that by prioritizing female pleasure, they will heal Mother Earth. But, unfortunately, the group faces prejudice and bureaucracy from the local townspeople and begins questioning their own motives as they strive to manifest utopia.
Adventures of Success is a film that has a strong idea but doesn’t push beyond that idea to be something more or flesh itself out enough to be a stronger film. There are jokes aplenty throughout, but once we get the idea of what Peggy is going for, it feels as if we need to move on to the moments where we see the cult struggle far earlier.
With that said, there is still an awful lot to like about the film, with the entire cast being a standout. By keeping the film perfectly straight, despite the nice nods and winks, Adventures of Success is able to keep the audience around to see how it works out for the group. When the focus moves to the audience seeing how broken everyone in the group is, in their own way, is interesting, though perhaps we could have seen more of it to allow us to be more emotionally connected once we get to those final scenes.
This dramedy works on multiple levels, as said thanks to the cast. Lexie Mountain is all in on having her group aware of the importance of the female experience, and as you watch a member perform cunnilingus on a lime, you will be hard-pressed not to be laughing. She also allows us to see a character who wants this and firmly believes that her idea is right and true. She isn’t here for the big bucks and believes in what she says and does. Mountain jumps in with both feet with the role, and as she and the rest of the cast are so well fleshed out, you do find yourself wanting to see where they all go.
Writers Jay Buim, Susan Juvet and Rachel Gayle Webster do good work with their story. However, the feeling of their film missing that extra oomph to entice its audience is missing. Which is such a shame as with the cast being as strong as they are and the idea unique enough to hold its own, you want and expect more from it. However, with that all said, this is a film that is still worth a watch, as you may find something for you in there.
Adventures in Success will open in Los Angeles at the Lumiere Music Hall on March 4th.
Nationwide, Adventures in Success will be available March 8th on iTunes and Amazon Prime Video.
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