The Facts:
Synopsis: Though an Irish driving instructor has a love-hate relationship with her supernatural abilities, she decides to help a local man and his possessed daughter.
Stars: Maeve Higgins, Barry Ward, Will Forte, Claudia O’Doherty, Jamie Beaming, Terri Chandler, Risteard Cooper, Emma Coleman, Carrie Crowley, Mary McEvoy
Director: Mike Ahern & Edna Loughman
Rated: R
Running Length: 94 minutes
TMMM Score: (8/10)
Review: Here’s one of those “bad” problems to have if you’re a movie critic…try not to roll your eyes. Sometimes, I have offers to watch so many screeners that I don’t know which one to choose and I wind up going simply on the logline or the poster – whichever catches my attention first. Then I line them up by release date and start knocking them out, hoping I’ve chosen titles that won’t be eye-rollers like the horror film about a priest that turned into a dinosaur (The VelociPastor) or the latest in a line of rural crime dramas (Inherit the Viper and Disturbing the Peace). At the back of my mind, I’m always waiting for the true diamond in the rough.
It took me a while and even though I’ve been fortunate to see an amazing amount of good movies from the comfort of my home I was so pleased to find Extra Ordinary exceeded all expectations. Here’s a movie that has a description that sounds like a lot of fun, boasts a poster that looks like a wacky ride, produced a trailer that didn’t give all the laughs or twists away, and winds up being one of the most entertaining movies I’ve seen so far in 2020. Mixing genres is tough with any combination but comedy and horror is, surprisingly, often the most difficult. The team involved in front of and behind the scenes for Extra Ordinary know what they’re doing and they’ve not only turned out a wholly satisfying blend of gory horror and laugh out loud comedy but they’ve likely created a small cult classic at the same time.
The daughter of a famous paranormal psychiatrist who disappeared under mysterious circumstances, Rose (Maeve Higgins, who also co-wrote the film) is a driving-instructor that enjoys her peaceful life in the Irish countryside. With her love-life non-existent, she hangs out with her pregnant sister (Terri Chandler) and dodges gossip hounds looking for information on her dad and also requesting her services. Seems that while her dad investigated unexplained occurrences, Rose actually has supernatural abilities that manifest themselves in different ways. She can talk to spirits and other objects, which is great for those that want her help but bad for Rose who thinks that her “gift” killed her father. Meanwhile, making a pact with a demon to resurrect his career is one-hit wonder rock musician Christian Winter (Will Forte, Nebraska) and he’s looking to sacrifice a virgin. When he takes Sarah (Emma Coleman), her father Martin (Barry Ward) enlists Rose’s help in saving his daughter and stopping Christian from bringing forth an evil that wants to do a hell of a lot more than assure success for its minion. Racing against time, Rose must face her childhood fears and put aside her burgeoning feelings for Martin if she’s to save Sarah and herself from certain hell.
If you’re reading this you’d think by now it was some new Blumhouse horror movie but the writers and directors have delivered it all with tongue firmly in cheek and a never ending barrage of one-liners and visual gags that work almost exclusively to its advantage. Truth be told, there were so many asides and small touches that I thought I’d have to watch the movie again in order to catch everything before writing this review. I’ve seen many compare the movie to Ghosbusters and I can see where that may tie in (those that were grossed out by Slimer in that ’80s movie should brace themselves for a host of icky phlegm appearances here) but I’d liken this movie more to Peter Jackson’s underrated horror comedy The Frighterners or Housebound, mostly because the humor seems in better alignment. Many movies start out with a bang but can’t maintain that energy or interest but the wonderful thing about Extra Ordinary is that it just gets better, funnier, and more engaging as it goes along.
That’s due in no small part to the enormous charm of Higgins leading the cast of talented players that all fit their roles to perfection. I wasn’t familiar with Higgins before this but I hope to see more of her and I’m betting more people will take notice after this. The way she presents Rose as so relatable without making her some sad-sack or the butt of jokes (an early scene in her kitchen where she eats a microwave meal in nothing but control top pantyhose deserves some kind of Not Giving Zero F***s Award) is exactly the right approach. As the straight man to Rose, Ward supports Higgins well as does Forte who resists the urge to go fully over the top and make the movie more about him than anything else. He tends to push too much at times (as many former SNL players do) but when he gets it right the role hums perfectly.
Likely to be a movie you’ll hear about a lot before you actually see it, make some extra time in your schedule for Extra Ordinary. Sure, you may not be a horror fan or the target audience for this type of film but Higgins and company may convince you otherwise and coax you to their side with their charming whip of frights and fun.