The Oath: Movie Review
Actor Ike Barinholtz makes his feature film writing and directing debut with the black comedy, “The Oath”, which he also stars in. We have seen countless films based on the ever-dreaded dysfunctional family holiday dinner. They have either taken place during Christmas or Thanksgiving. “The Oath” is set during the ladder. However, we have never seen a Thanksgiving quite like this one.
Set in the near-future, US citizens are being asked to sign a political document called “The Patriot’s Oath”. By signing the document, you are committing your loyalty to the President. The deadline to sign is the day after Thanksgiving (on Black Friday). Chris (Barinholtz) and his wife Kai (Tiffany Haddish) refuse to sign the document as it goes against their political beliefs. Signing the document is not a requirement, but the government is offering benefits to people who do sign it. Citizens are also signing the oath out of fear, after news reports showing that people would have spoken out against it being arrested or disappearing.
Chris is already on edge and it doesn’t help that he is constantly tuned into news feeds and seeing the devastating turns that are happening in the country. He is pushed over the edge not only by his family, but also by a pair of government agents (John Cho & Billy Magnussen) who are following up on a report made on Chris. Thanksgiving winds up turning into a night from hell where things keep getting worse.
“The Oath” for the most part is cleverly written, but the problem here is that the idea of the oath feels all too realistic to be funny. While watching the film, I felt like this is something that could very well happen, or at least be introduced as an idea into the government. If it did, I could see people reacting not much differently than the way they are in “The Oath”. The cast is good here. Nora Dunn as Chris’ mother Elanor and Magnussen as the agent with a grudge is at times quite intense. Surprisingly, Haddish (who is a scene stealer in films like “Girls Trip”), plays it reserved here. Her character is the level-headed one in the story. Although she is fine, I would have loved to see her really loose her mind at least once. “The Oath” doesn’t quite work as-a-whole, but there are elements of brilliance scattered throughout.
By: Marc Ferman