“It’s a Wonderful Binge” is a follow-up to “The Binge (2020),” authored and helmed by Jordan VanDina. The ensemble includes Kaitlin Olson as Mayor Spengler, Danny Trejo as Angel, Patty Guggenheim as Delray Donna, Eduardo Franco as Andrew, Tony Cavalero as Pompano Mike, Nick Swardson as Uncle Kris, Marta Piekarz as Kimmi, and Dexter Darden as Hags. The movie pokes a comedic jab at the highly successful “Purge,” where for one day, all the illegal drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana become legal. The movie follows the story of two friends, Andrew, and Hags, who, via bizarre events, learn the importance of family and Christmas.Â
Spoilers Ahead
‘It’s a Wonderful Binge’ Plot Synopsis: What Happens In the Movie?
The movie begins with the voiceover suggesting that in the future, consuming drugs, including marijuana, would all be considered legal for one day, and the aforementioned day will be known as “THE BINGE.” Every citizen would enjoy the right to get intoxicated and stoned without worrying about the police knocking on the door, and the government has declared the impending Christmas Eve as the “binge.” The movie introduces us to two best buddies, Andrew (played by Eduardo Franco) and Hags (portrayed by Dexter Darden), busting a groove at a children’s party donning hilarious Mouse and Puppy costumes. However, the celebration is cut short when Andrew’s dress malfunctions, revealing to the kids that he’s not the real deal and resulting in the duo’s termination.
Hags wishes to marry his girlfriend to propel their relationship to the next level, but they are unsure about their future together. Andrew, too, has his fair share of issues, which mostly revolve around his family and girlfriend, Kimmi (Marta Piekarz). Kimmi’s mother is the town’s Mayor, who’s hard at work hosting the Winter Wonderland Gala event. She’s a bit terrifying and controlling and always appears to be having a nervous breakdown. She even ordered her security to shoot one of her workers after the latter was caught consuming drugs before the Binge. However, the guards turn her down, saying they aren’t allowed to shoot anybody and that they also have no guns. These exchanges make up the film’s comedic core. The Mayor wished to defy all odds and bring down the “binge” to restore Christmas and tourism to their former glory with the help of the magical Christmas owl. Whatever plans the Mayor had for Christmas were soon derailed after her “Christmas Owl” consumes the confiscated drugs, breaks the cage, and flies away. Fearing it will ruin her Christmas gala, the mayor orders Kimmi to capture the owl and bring it back.
The Christmas Owl And The Family Hairloom
Hags visit Sarah’s dad and convey his plans to marry his little girl. Once Sarah’s father learned of Hags’s commitment, he urged Sarah’s grandmother to explain to his future son-in-law the history of the ring that had been passed down through the generations. In reality, the ring has been in Sarah’s family for centuries. The ring was a jeweled kaleidoscope of different eras, cultures, and love sagas and had been etched by Sarah’s great-great-great-great-great grandfather, who was a bastard child of a wild-eyed blacksmith and a legless courtesan during the Ottoman Empire. The ring was carved from the hottest lava in the hills of Ganesh. There was a tradition that every time the ring was passed on, a new stone would be added. He then added an extra ruby and passed it to his granddaughter, who was the first woman soldier to fight in Zaraniq Rebellion. Afterward, the ring was quickly lost in the hail of gunpowder and smoke. She buried the ring in her daughter’s blanket and ran towards the battlefield, prepared to die. The baby was then raised by the zebras in what was then British East Africa and was eventually adopted by a nice East Coast family, beginning the long line of adoption. Later, she married a longshoreman in Northern New Jersey with gouty hands. Fearful that the family heirloom would be taken by her husband, she hid it in the body of a six-foot rainbow trout that her husband had brought home the morning before he went missing, and the ring stayed in the carcass of that frozen fish for nearly four years and now belongs to Sarah. However, things go out of control, and Hags somehow manages to lose the ring, which is gift-wrapped and sent to the orphanage. The evening hasn’t been good for Andrew, either, as he was attacked on the bridge by the Christmas Owl after he decided to leave home, thanks to his wailing parents. The owl causes Andrew to fall from the bridge and encounters a strange man, Angel (played by Danny Trejo), living inside a tent house, and is offered drugs. Andrew is high and starts to contemplate what life would be like for his family if he were no longer there. The drugs kick in, and Angel takes Andrew back in time to show how his family is better off without him.Â
Hags And Andrew Get Arrested
Sarah believes that her boyfriend is cheating on her; she meets with Kimmi and decides to follow Hags, who has ditched Sarah’s family on Christmas eve, to fetch the ring that has been accidentally sent to the orphanage. Hags contacts his best buddy and conveys the whole situation about how he messed up and lost Sarah’s family heirloom, and asks him to give him a ride to the orphanage, but Andrew is no help since he is away. However, Hags encounters Pompano Mike, who drives a limo for Pimp My Ride, and he agrees to give him a ride to the orphanage. Hags meets Delray Donna, Pompano’s wife and spiritual advisor, and reveals his plan to propose to his longtime girlfriend and how he lost her family heirloom. It’s the Binge evening, and everyone is high AF. Andrew is crawling the streets of Neverland, and after smoking the magic dust offered by Angel, his best buddy Hags, even though he is high on cocaine, can’t say no to “Mazel-Tug.” The Binge has brought in a different class of people, and masses have gathered to smoke pot and do drugs. Meanwhile, Sarah has learned Hags’ location through a tracking app she has already installed on his phone. She has pinged all the cell towers at every location he’s been to today, cross-referenced them with the location of his laptop, which she too has bugged, and learned that Hags is heading towards the orphanage. She convinces Kimmi and her uncle, Kris, who has escaped from prison, to spend Christmas with his niece and her sister.
Angel transports Andrew into a parallel universe in which he does not exist to show him how his family would have been if he had never been born. Andrew witnessed that his family was much happier and more joyful without him. He even overhears his mother saying there’s no need to make another if you already have a perfect son. Afterward, they make their way to the future, where Kimmi serves as the town’s Mayor and has married Angel. The trip has been a disaster for Andrew, and he urges Angel to take him to the hospital where he was born so he can give himself up for adoption, saving the family years of bad luck and misery. Unfortunately, the drug’s effects are starting to wear off, and Andrew finds himself in the orphanage and is apprehended for stealing a baby. Hags, too, arrives at the orphanage to steal the present and is forced to play roulette with the kids to win the present, but is arrested for theft and trespassing. Kimmi’s uncle, too, was handcuffed for breaking out of the prison and impersonating Santa.
‘It’s A Wonderful Binge’ Ending Explained – Did Sarah Agree To Marry Hags?
Andrew felt like his family was better off without him and met Angel, who somehow convinced him that he was right and showed him what his family would be like if he had never been born. In reality, Angel was a killer who was wanted in 11 states for a dozen homicides. He was just binging and having fun with Andrew, but he taught Andrew that he had the choice to carve out his own future. Andrew realizes that he’s not alone and has Hags, who would’ve dropped everything to be by his side. Hags also uses his one phone call to contact Andrew’s parents and convey the entire situation while Mike and Donna map out a plan to break the duo out of prison. Meanwhile, mayhem breaks out at the Winter Wonderland event, where bingers are staging a mutiny. Mayor Spengler has completely lost control of the situation, and her request to keep the gala binge-free has only made people want to binge more. Andrew’s parents swarm the station to bail the kids out, and he realizes that he’s the spice of his family, and they need him. Andrew’s father, Rigo, apologizes for being a selfish prick and reveals that he’s lucky to have two vastly different twins and would never trade him for all the Titcoin in the world. The movie finally comes to a joyous conclusion, with Sarah saying yes to Hags’ proposal. Hags has been behaving oddly because he is scared that his relationship with Sarah isn’t going to work because they are getting older, but he has now realized that the love and beauty of life don’t just die because you get older; they get better because you get to share those moments with the people you love the most.
Mayor Spengler has also realized Christmas isn’t about some magic owl and presents; it’s about family. Spengler always thought her family was perfect, but her brother Kris made her realize that it was otherwise. She finally understands that one can have a monopoly on Christmas, but without family and friends, life would be a real twister. She even dropped out of the election race and decided to spend the coming Christmas with her family as a regular mother and a sister and even pardoned her brother. Angel, too, has his wish come true and receives a box full of chicken wings, something he has been craving all night.
“It’s A Wonderful Binge” is a 2022 comedy drama film directed by Jordan VanDina.
