Without even seeing any trailers, I knew that “Pizza Movie” was going to be a movie I sought out. Its premise of two high college students trying to make their way down to the lobby of their dorm to pick up their pizza seemed really interesting, especially with the production company behind it, American High (probably better known for its short-form content). It’s an independent production company that specializes in coming-of-age movies, with most of its films distributed by Hulu. However, “Pizza Movie” is its most high-profile project to date.
The film is very much in the vein of “Dazed and Confused” and the “Harold and Kumar” series, but with a modern Zoomer twist, blending stoner humor with rapid-fire jokes. Its energetic style and visual gags help comedy fans and streaming viewers appreciate its fast-paced, joke-heavy approach, especially those who enjoy absurdist humor.
The film does a lot with its seemingly simple premise, taking full advantage of the zaniness of a college dormitory. Our protagonist frequently gets sidetracked into several adventures, such as the classic dorm party and weird indie bands. Personally, I’ve never seen too many people hanging out in the hallways of my dorm, but maybe that’s just me. The movie even makes you feel for the robot that brought them their pizza (I would protect Snackatron with my own life), though he’ll never have my heart the way Notre Dame’s own Grubhub robots do.
Standout performances include Caleb Harron as a (31-years-young) resident assistant named Sidney and Gaten Matarazzo as Jack, one of the protagonists who doesn’t think he’s getting enough out of the college experience. I thought I wouldn’t be able to see him outside of Dustin from “Stranger Things,” but he delivers such a great performance and has excellent comedic timing that I didn’t think about Dustin once during the film. Another performance I found incredible was Jake Martin as the main antagonist and head RA Blake, who gets to perform a hilarious spoof of the opening of “Inglourious Basterds” with pitch-perfect acting. When Blake finally takes some of the drugs he’s been after our protagonist for, he ends up seeing the true nature of the universe and gets sent all the way to the writers’ room, a type of fourth-wall joke I will never get tired of seeing.
The editing in this film was also incredible, adding to many of the gags and making the jokes hit that much harder. Where the editing really shines is in the tripping sequences. These sequences felt — for lack of a better word — very trippy, using jarring editing and uncanny music to make you feel exactly what the characters are feeling while they’re feeling the effects of the drugs. Especially the second trip, where their heads exploded repeatedly whenever they swore. An extended sequence in which one of our protagonists swaps brains with his pet butterfly, voiced by Daniel Radcliffe, kept making me chuckle.
While not Shakespeare, the film knows what it is and does it very well. “Pizza Movie” is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+. It’s best enjoyed in your dorm with your friends and, if possible, while eating a fresh slice of pizza.
