“Stealing Pulp Fiction” is one of those movies that by the end, you’re mostly just bummed it didn’t live up to its potential. Boasting a fun premise, writer / director Danny Turkiewicz‘s quirky film does its best to pay proper homage to Quentin Tarantino. But his writing feels like he is trying way too hard, and although you can tell when things are supposed to be funny, they rarely are.
For movie nerds, the setup is basically catnip. With the help of their unhinged therapist (Jason Alexander), three struggling Hollywood wannabes (Jon Rudnitsky, Karan Soni, and Cazzie David) hatch a plan to steal Tarantino’s personal 35mm print of “Pulp Fiction” from his theater.
Turkiewicz clearly adores all things Tarantino, and the film reflects that to the point of obsession. Unfortunately, that love doesn’t quite translate into anything consistently funny or clever. The script tries so hard to sound smart and edgy that it just ends up feeling forced. There are a few moments that work, mainly thanks to the bro-y chemistry between the leads. Some of the banter feels authentic and relatable for anyone who’s ever argued at 2 a.m. about which Tarantino film is the best and why. But for every bit that works, there are double the amount of scenes that are wasted on shallow dialogue and gags that don’t land. And while the cast mostly looks the part, it’s hard to ignore Alexander’s wildly off-the-mark performance (which is either miscast, misdirected, or both).
The movie’s climax tries to go full meta, but it feels more ridiculous than genius. Even worse, it’s capped off by one of the worst Tarantino (Seager Tennis) impressions ever committed to film.
The movie isn’t completely awful, it’s just disappointing. With a concept this fun, it should’ve been a blast. Instead, “Stealing Pulp Fiction” ends up as a missed opportunity: short in runtime, long on ambition, and sadly not as clever as it thinks it is.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 