Siblings have at least one thing in common: sharing a parent (if not two). But beyond that, in many cases there’s no other connective tissue, and people just happen to be related. It typically takes a major life cycle event, like a parent dying, to bring estranged siblings back together, and even a little time together in close proximity can be challenging. One of them joining a cult can also be another catalyst, bringing with it additional layers of drama and baggage. Victoria Strouse makes a very funny directorial debut with Seekers of Infinite Love, which proves that family dysfunction and discord can be the perfect recipe for comedy.
Kayla (Hannah Einbinder) reluctantly manages her phobias and walks up thirty-four flights to the office of her attorney brother Zach (John Reynolds), where their other brother, gambling addict Wes (Griffin Gluck), meets them and they’re told that their sister Scarlett (Justine Lupe) has joined a cult. Their parents think their presence could be triggering, so they’ve hired a deprogramming expert, Rick (Justin Theroux), to track her down and convince her to leave. When Kayla has a panic attack trying to board the plane, they embark on a road trip from New York to Kentucky that goes predictably awry, delayed considerably by their constant bickering and inability to see past each other’s flaws.
It’s impressive that this is Strouse’s first time behind the camera, and even though she has screenwriting experience (Finding Dory and Family Switch are among her credits), she’s doing something so different here with an expletive-laced screenplay that gets to the heart of siblings who just can’t get along. There are hints of good memories, like a video of them all dancing as kids, but the fact that it’s so readily available on their phones suggests that perhaps it’s their most recent happy moment, and they’ve grown so far apart as adults that they can’t tether to anything positive anymore. While that does allow for some drama and emotion, which this film offers appropriately sparingly, the focus is much more – and rightly so – on the comedy that comes from this hapless group trying to get along long enough to save their sister from certain doom.
Casting is key to this film’s success, and each member of this fictional family delivers tremendously. Einbinder has spent most of her career on Hacks but here plays someone just different enough to be recognizable but feel like an entirely separate character. She’s a fantastic anchor for this story as its lead, infusing Kayla with a formidable combination of anxiety and wit, which plays particularly superbly opposite Reynolds as the serious older brother who has done well professionally but doesn’t really have any friends. Their bitter, petty exchanges make for the film’s funniest moments, but Gluck adds another degree of hilarity as someone even less self-sufficient who is also prone to passing out whenever he gets scared or overwhelmed. Theroux is doing a send-up of his most committed and intense characters, and he makes fun of that archetype just as well as he plays it.
Comedies about cults have a tendency to lean toward the absurd and showcase them for how ridiculous they are, and while this film does veer in that direction in its third act, it wisely pulls back and continues to focus on this family. It’s only predictable to the extent that these siblings will keep fighting until the very end, even if they might accomplish something along the way and find a bit of connection in between all the shouting and mocking. Hopefully most audiences have better relationships with their own family members, but this film, in addition to being a genuinely hilarious ride, should provide many points of access for sibling dynamics that are all too relatable.
Movie Rating: 8/10
