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| Images courtesy of IFC Films |
Perhaps best known for his standout role in Shaun of the Dead, Nick Frost is no stranger to the horror comedy genre. This frequent collaborator with Simon Pegg has seen his share of darkly hilarious scenarios in films for decades now, and while most see him as an actor, he’s no stranger to writing either. Frost writes and stars in the family-comedy-meets-folk-horror film Get Away, and while it’s not quite like the rest of Frost’s films, there are certainly shades of familiarity in there.
The film opens with a wholesome family about to embark on a getaway to Svalta: a remote island in Sweden with a bad reputation. It’s notorious for a plague that annihilated most of its population, which its residents commemorate annually by the Festival of Karantan, and the Smith family is excited to experience it. Frost plays Richard Smith, the average middle-aged guy with dad jokes aplenty, and he’s accompanied by his wife Susan (Aisling Bea), along with their two teenagers Jessie (Maisie Ayers) and Sam (Sebastian Croft). When they arrives at the island, the locals don’t exactly embrace them with open arms, and it’s not until their Airbnb landlord (Eero Milanoff) shows up that the chilly reception dies down. The tensions don’t end there, however. While the Airbnb seems lovely, something is a little “off” about the landlord, and the residents of the island continue to act unwelcoming and downright threatening to the family.
The film opens with a wholesome family about to embark on a getaway to Svalta: a remote island in Sweden with a bad reputation. It’s notorious for a plague that annihilated most of its population, which its residents commemorate annually by the Festival of Karantan, and the Smith family is excited to experience it. Frost plays Richard Smith, the average middle-aged guy with dad jokes aplenty, and he’s accompanied by his wife Susan (Aisling Bea), along with their two teenagers Jessie (Maisie Ayers) and Sam (Sebastian Croft). When they arrives at the island, the locals don’t exactly embrace them with open arms, and it’s not until their Airbnb landlord (Eero Milanoff) shows up that the chilly reception dies down. The tensions don’t end there, however. While the Airbnb seems lovely, something is a little “off” about the landlord, and the residents of the island continue to act unwelcoming and downright threatening to the family.
How does this holiday end for the Smith family? You’ll have to watch it to find out, but it’s safe to say the film’s not without its twists. While a good 180 is always fun, the problem with Get Away is that’s practically the only plot point in the flimsy story, and the majority of the film is being heavy-handed with the family’s “fish out of water” experience on the island with little else moving the story forward. Most of the film could be summed up by simply saying “the locals continue to act weird.” While it’s not exactly boring and certainly has its charm, there’s this sense that if the story had been told a little differently with better pacing, it could have been far more memorable.
That said, the cast is well-suited for their roles and plays off of each other nicely. Nick Frost and Aisling Bea are a great pairing and handle all of the comedic elements of the story adeptly. Director Steffen Haars does a superb job of setting the proper tone for the film, balancing the humor and darkness of the entire scenario perfectly. The film is also well-shot, giving a sense that the Smith family is trapped on the ominous island and being watched at every turn. This is a small story and does a relatively good job at keeping everything appropriately lean; the problem is that sometimes it feels a bit too lean.
Is Get Away entertaining? Somewhat. Is it good? That’s another story. This two-dimensional film is mediocre at best with some good ideas, and it’s a genuinely decent endeavor for Nick Frost’s first solo writing effort. Any fan of Frost’s previous work will find something to enjoy in this film, but it’s definitely missing a certain je ne sais quoi that his earlier works have.
- Andrea Riley