The Stress Is Killing Me is based on an absurd premise that’s also executed in the most outrageous of fashions. The movie follows several grown-ups who have attended a college reunion, and a handful of them decide to spend a few days in the villa that one of them rented for the reunion. Early on, you must join a group of professionals who forget about their obligations, families, jobs, or anything that’s part of their mundane little lives. The result is, however, a fast-paced and silly movie that has enough heart to make you think about proposing this idea during your next reunion. Just behave, please.
The movie follows this group of people who decide to make things more interesting. After they choose to stay a few days in the incredible house that was rented for their reunion, they start talking about what they do. But most importantly, about what they wish they would do. One of them says she wants to be a sex therapist, another one claims the title of a priest, and yoga teachers and chefs are born out of this fantasy. Of course, all of them decide to give this dream a try with the support of old college friends.
The Stress Is Killing Me plays like a long sitcom. Colorful characters you’re not supposed to question take a journey through simple arcs that won’t exactly stay with you. However, the story does work. It’s a film about bonding in the most absurd of moments and about consequences fading away. It got to me like few comedies do, and much less indie comedies. I have to say that I immediately started thinking about what I would do during a college reunion. It would be embarrassing and nostalgic, but it would also be rekindling with friends I forgot I had at some point.
The movie is written, directed, and produced by Tom Carroll, and stars Grayson Berry, Carly Christopher, April Hartman, Theron LaFountain, Barry Landers, Lisa Lucas, Matthew Page, and Crystal Thomas. Carroll achieves a good balance between drama and comedy with a cast that does the job of bringing his idea to the screen, regardless of tone. The Stress Is Killing Me is a bit silly and repetitive, but at least its main storyline made me think about some very poor decisions I’ve made for the sake of being what I should do. The comedy offers a glimpse into a kind of fantasy that would only be possible if I were to leave it all behind and restart it again. Then again, I would probably end up doing what I do today. But at least I tried.
It works as a family-friendly movie, as its more raunchy moments are restrained by the thin script. I would just ask for less cheesy sound effects. Sometimes, comedy works better without them, and you can still laugh without hearing the distracting whoosh sound of a head turning.
Film critic. Lover of all things horror. Member of the OFCS. RT Approved Critic.
