By David Dent
Steinmiller Jr and Lightbody’s first feature sees a group of musicians, ‘The Nunu’, who are ‘America’s #1 Party Band’, in a van on their way to play at a wedding. The various group members started off performing original songs, but that didn’t turn a buck, so now they’re reduced to singing and playing classic hits at functions. They’re headed up by the headstrong Hannah (Kat Cunning) whose girlfriend Ava (Jenna Karan) she literally stole away from Ava’s own wedding; she’s that kind of headstrong. Sensible Emily (Lexi Underwood) has paid for an overnight rental for the band.
On their way they narrowly avoid hitting a blind woman and having, stopped, find a bar which contains an old karaoke machine. Thinking it might liven their evening up, Emily liberates it with the full blessing of the barman. Of course, we’ve already seen a prologue in which the machine shows its evil side, plucking out the eyes of the woman doing the singing. Turns out that thing is possessed by the anger of a singer songwriter prevented from playing at the bar because the karaoke machine was more successful.
At their rental, the group party in the grand tradition of young people about to meet horrendous ends. The karaoke machine is fired up, a song is chosen, but a poor vocal performance – as decided by the evil box – results in the singer having to choose their own death (from a rather limited menu of creative mutilations). And repeat to fade, with the added annoyance (for the group) that the machine cannot be turned off, and when smashed turns up as an app on the band members’ phones.
All this might be pretty silly – actually it is, and played for sly laughs – but the group members are a likeable bunch, and the frat house gaggery is pretty amusing. It’s gory as hell, and pretty effective to boot. Sadly the prevailing message – that original material is better than covers – feels a bit insipid, as are the songs which pepper the movie. But it’s huge fun, scrappy and slightly anarchic, with some great comic moments. Just don’t expect sophistication.
Bloody Flicks 