Movie Breakdown: Y2K

Pre-Screening Stance:

As someone who was a 16 year-old in 1999, Y2K will likely be a hit for me based solely on the massive clump of nostalgia it’s going to throw at my face. And sure, it also looks pretty funny.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Y2K isn’t the next great comedy, but it’s pretty good. The film gets underway with an introduction to Eli (Jaeden Martell) and Danny (Julian Dennison), two best friends who are getting ready to settle in for a mild New Year’s Eve hang that’s just them and a rented copy of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Junior. After acquiring a bit of liquid courage though, the pair decide to close out 1999 at a party that’s being attended by Eli’s dream girl, Laura (Rachel Zegler). Initially, Eli doesn’t have much luck with her, but then they end up on the run together after the clock strikes midnight and a Y2K-related bug causes all of the machines to unleash mayhem on humans everywhere.

It’s only about 90 minutes long, but Y2K isn’t without some moments where it meanders and lightly drags. This is partly because the plot is pretty thin and shakily constructed, but there’s also a big missed opportunity on display – I get wanting to center it around a teen boy and his quest for romance, but I think things would have played better had the film followed the hippie, free-flowing, goofy video store clerk Garrett, who is played by writer/director Kyle Mooney. The movie really perks up anytime this character is on the screen – he’s just so easy to like and laugh at/with, and channeling the movie through him would have allowed for even more of a satirical jab at all things late-90s, which I believe would have filled the space better. Oh well. In any case, as it stands you’ve got an alright comedy with performances that are fine and a solid amount of nostalgia-based laughs to be had. Get to it, millennials. The film hits theaters this Friday, December 6.

One Last Thought:

Fred Durst does a nice job with his part in Y2K. I have to say – I’m not sure I ever would have guessed that he (and Limp Bizkit, for that matter) would still be kicking around in 2024. He just always seemed like someone who was destined to flame out super hard and then disappear forever.