How often do you come across a decent explicit teen comedy that would leave you with your jaw on the floor? We are not talking about the American Pie movies where actors in their twenties act like high schoolers navigating through puberty, adolescence, and attraction towards men or women. The new Netflix film named Incoming forays into teen comedy that attempts to be funny and will likely keep you engaged till the end. It will enrage you as well, but how often do we come across such films that are completely unabashed? Dave Chernin and John Chernin’s comedy drama film was released on the streaming platform on August 23, 2024.
This ninety-one-minute-long film has a title that has no connection to the content or the events of the film. As high school is about to start, Benjamin, aka Benji, can’t wait for the new year at school, while his friends Eddie, Connor, and Danah are not as excited as he is. Benjamin has a crush on his sister’s best friend Bailey, and since he has just hit puberty, he is going through a lot of emotions and feelings. Meanwhile, Eddie and Connor are bullied by their seniors. Eddie is also not having a gala time at home as his mother’s boyfriend lives with them. Danah has an overbearing older brother who keeps abusing and bullying him. His only goal is to impress his older brother at the upcoming party he’ll be throwing. Benji’s sister Alyssa has had a nose job to impress her ex-girlfriend, and at the same time she bad mouths her as well. She hopes to meet her at the party to win her back. The lead-up to the party and the event at the party is what makes the crux of the film. Are Benji and his friends invited to the party? Is the party a huge success?
The best aspect of the film has to be the direction. Dave and John Chernin seem to be in control of the narrative, as they are able to connect the dots. There are multiple plotlines progressing simultaneously on the same night at the same party. The director does not lose grip over the craft. This could be because they wrote the screenplay themselves, which helps them navigate the story as they had planned. As mentioned above, the screenplay is tight here, and in no way does it digress into many subplots. There are a few subplots introduced, and the writer and the director make sure to connect them and end things in a perfect fashion. Since the story is of events leading to the party and the night of it, the directors could have taken their own sweet time and added many unnecessary elements just for the heck of it.
Movies that revolve around one night tend to go overboard, but that does not happen with Incoming. There is a lot to unpack from this small movie, which is interesting to watch. The humor is fantastic, and it lands well in most cases. There is a lot of physical comedy involved in the film, and kudos to the direction that allows tense scenarios to be hilarious as well. Bullying, abuse, social media obsession, public validation, body image issues, teenage infatuation—all of these and more are covered in the most subtle manner. There is a whole subplot of Eddie and Connor being the gentlemen trying to save a drunk girl. This is one of the funniest and tightest subplots, which has a very good conclusion. There are characters that could be considered morally gray and go through an arc as they learn about the consequences of their actions. It is interesting to watch how morally gray characters are also given a stage to be themselves without being politically correct.
If you expect this film to be goody two shoes with a cute ending, it is not. It might have a cliched climax, but there is a lot of realism added, especially in the end. The end could be satire on how the usual romantic comedies or high school romances wrap things up. Also, trigger warning: there are a lot of explicit and violent visuals and language in the film is not for the faint hearted. No wonder this film went straight to Netflix and was not released on the big screen. In the world of production houses that are airing politically correct cinema meant for younglings, Incoming comes across as totally different from the usual teen comedies we watch these days.
The editing by Josh Crockett and Elizabeth Praino is also a clear winner, as it allows the film to remain tight right from the start till the end. Not one scene seems extra in Incoming. The performances are the best aspect of the film. It is a monumental task to get kids to use so many swear words and make them act convincingly in a film that is meant only for adults. The child actors are the film’s biggest asset and give their hundred percent and make the film a fun watch till the end. Mason Thames as Benji Nielsen, Ali Gallo as Alyssa Nielsen, Bardia Seiri as Danah ‘Koosh’ Koushani, Raphael Alejandro as Connor, and Ramon Reed as Eddie are brilliant throughout. There is not one scene these younger actors don’t excel in. These actors have a good future if this film clicks, which rightfully it should.
Incoming is the kind of teen comedy that sounds weird on paper, but somehow, in execution, it somehow works. Also, did I say the film is filled with graphic visuals that could gross you out and at the same time make you laugh? Give Incoming a watch and decide if you like such films or not.
