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- What Is Incoming About?
- Incoming’s Pros & Cons
- Critical Response to Incoming
As a film enthusiast who has spent countless hours delving into the rich tapestry of cinematic history, I must say that “Incoming” left me feeling rather disheartened and somewhat perplexed. Having grown up on the golden age of teen comedies, I found myself longing for the wit, charm, and originality that defined those timeless classics.
On August 23, 2024, a new movie titled “Incoming” will debut on Netflix. This film has achieved significant streaming success, surprisingly so given that it was ranked as one of the worst feature film comedies of 2024. The plot follows four freshmen high school students who face their fears as they prepare for their first high school party. The unoriginal comedy by directors Dave and John Chernin doesn’t bring anything new to the table, instead reminding us of much funnier movies like “Porky’s”, “American Pie”, and “Superbad”.
Although receiving a mere 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the immature teen comedy has managed to strike a chord with viewers on the streaming platform that prioritizes quantity over quality, catering to the current binge-watching craze. Over the weekend, Incoming ranked second only to The Union as Netflix’s most-watched movie in the U.S., raising a significant question about Netflix’s future – when do subpar productions stop garnering high viewership figures? To answer this question, a more detailed analysis of Incoming is required.
What Is Incoming About?
Under the guidance of newcomer directors Dave and John Chernin, the film Incoming presents as if it were crafted by inexperienced novices from the outset. The narrative centers around four freshmen high school students – Benj (Mason Thames), Eddie (Ramon Reed), Connor (Raphael Alejandro), and Koosh (Bardia Seiri) – who navigate peer pressure, social expectations, and romantic entanglements leading up to and during their inaugural high school party. In contrast to the thought-provoking portrayals of contemporary teenage experiences found in shows like Sex Education, Incoming falls short in offering profound insights into the lives of today’s teens.
In the run-up to a significant high school party, Benji strives to win over his school crush, Sophia (Isabella Ferreira), while battling his own insecurities about not having gone through puberty yet. Simultaneously, Eddie dislikes his mother’s new wealthy suitor, Dennis (Scott MacArthur). Koosh, on the other hand, is keen on dating an older student to enhance his status with his domineering elder brother. Each character faces their unique challenges as they prepare for this event that may strain their friendships and test their moral fibers. Unfortunately, this film, a spin-off of sorts, slips into a quagmire of tired tropes, hackneyed dialogue, and adolescent humor that leaves audiences yearning for superior high school comedies exploring similar themes.
Incoming’s Pros & Cons
The movie, titled “Incoming,” tries to avoid the pitfall of being too politically correct, a common issue faced by contemporary comedies that often struggle to survive. However, the attempts at bold, cutting-edge humor surrounding TikTok, K-holes, and other trendy topics often miss the mark, resulting in awkward and uncomfortable situations instead of cool and rebellious ones. The responsibility for this can be traced back to the Chernins, who have a background in television with shows like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “The Mick.” Their broad jokes usually resonate better on TV than they do in a movie setting. In essence, the film seems more like a potential TV pilot than a cinematic production designed to stand the test of time.
Despite impressive comedic performances from Kaitlin Olsen and MacArthur in the film “Incoming”, their attempts to bring their characters to life, as they did in “It’s Always Sunny” and “The Mick”, the humor falls flat and recalls funnier content. The movie is haunted by a pervasive quality that resembles a low-budget streaming production, inviting unfavorable comparisons with its sources of inspiration. This sentiment is echoed in The Guardian’s review, which describes the film as having a “consistently distracting sheen of a made-for-streaming production.”
Critical Response to Incoming
Instead of standing solo, The Guardian is accompanied by many professional critics who consider Incoming as one of the worst comedies in 2024. With a Metascore of 41 and a Rotten Tomatoes rating of merely 13%, the movie seems like a low-budget, streaming version of previously funnier teen comedies that had heart to counterbalance its raunchy humor. To illustrate, a review from The New York Times states:
“One possible explanation is that the film ‘Incoming’ is a tribute with affectionate imitation. However, in reality, it seems quite predictable and worn out. This movie appears to be heavily influenced by teenage slapstick comedies from the late 1990s and early 2000s, such as ‘American Pie’ and ‘Van Wilder,’ which were themselves inspired by teen sex comedies of the 1980s like ‘Porky’s’ and ‘Screwballs.’ It’s challenging to find any originality or fresh perspective in it.”
In the face of its predictable narrative, critics have pointed out that “Incoming” fails to live up to its raunchy, R-rated promises, despite trying to be edgy. The four main characters, who act with questionable moral integrity for a movie of this genre, seem to hold onto ethical behavior in ways that limit the film’s potential for outrageous content. Consequently, “Incoming” falls short of delivering on its promised humor and subversion. Even the few moments of sweetness feel forced and lack depth, making it hard for viewers to find anything relatable or enjoyable beyond tired jokes and crude gags. Ultimately, “Incoming” is unlikely to be remembered as a standout teen movie or iconic R-rated comedy.
When the film presents significant dramatic challenges for the characters (boys), it frequently makes those challenges seem less daunting and difficult to believe, leaving viewers questioning the gravity of the outcomes. As per Varity’s critique:
The action unfolds at such a fast pace that awkward pauses barely have time to occur. It’s reminiscent of the first episode of a sitcom, where characters are introduced who will later be involved in increasingly ridiculous and complicated scenarios. Each episode promises to return to the initial state by the end. On its own, “Incoming” delivers what it sets out to do, but the characters feel one-dimensional, and the level of raunchiness expected isn’t quite met.
Netflix appears unfazed by criticisms of its content, as long as shows like “Incoming” attract large audiences, they will keep churning out similar productions, much like an assembly line in a factory. The streaming service has made it clear that their goal is to produce a vast quantity of entertainment rather than focusing on quality, offering viewers endless bingeable content. Until viewers start to hold Netflix accountable by not watching unfunny imitations of more entertaining movies, shows similar to “Incoming” will remain prevalent on the platform indefinitely. Currently, “Incoming” ranks second in U.S. viewership charts, trailing only behind “The Union,” a forgettable action movie featuring Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg that also lacks rewatch value.
Incoming is available to stream on Netflix.
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2024-08-28 01:01