Splitsville – Film Review
by Brian Merriman

Directed by Michael Angelo Covino
Written by Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin
Music composed by: Dabney Morris and David Wingo
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Adria Arjona, Kyle Marvin, Michael Angelo Covino, Simon Webster

Duration 100 Minutes

Splitsville, the wacky comedy, is like a family affair. Leading men, Kyle Marvin (Carey)  and Michael Angelo Covino (Paul), star and write the script, which explains the spontaneous flavour in some of the comedy sequences. Adria Arjona (Ashley) also co-produces the film, which Covino also directs. Together with Dakota Johnson (Julie), they play four inter-connected, married people, entangled in a web of love, lust and friendship, all of which are constantly challenged as they try to play out a commentary on where modern relationships and commitment can journey.

We are in contemporary America, the locations and accommodations are lavish, though expensively furnished with the most flimsy furniture that doesn’t survive the almost slapstick argument sequences. Initially, we meet two couples. Carey and Ashley are recently married and just completing their first year together. Paul and Julie have been married for over a decade and are the proud and defensive parents of ten-year-old Russ (an impressive Simon Webster). The guys are best friends, and a weekend away begins and continues unexpectedly. What develops over the next 100 minutes ricochets from farce to implausibility, both key ingredients of an entertaining comedy trip.

Splitsville is about two dysfunctional couples, one of the men is monogamous and in love, and the other three embrace what often passes for commitment in open and temporary relationships. When the marital wings are spread, we encounter a diverse collection of lovers and casual encounters, all who add to the comedy of this high-energy, shallow plot that amuses and engages from the start.

There is an undeveloped discussion on the impact of open relationships on modern marriage, the lure of the faraway hills being greener and even a hint of a sequel, as we see a challenging and determined Russ make his way through the chaos created by the less mature adults in whose care he survives. Russ is even more independently minded than the adults and is not afraid to experiment by pushing the boundaries. In that aspect, it is similar in construction to the musical duet Falsettos, written over forty years ago by James Lapine and William Finn.

Splitsville relies on the absence of morality in the self-centred characters. Though very attractive and sprinkled with revealing shower scenes, few of the main characters have a moral barometer that could guide a child, let alone ensure the success of a committed relationship. A good musical score by Morris and Wingo nicely helps the unbelievable plot to resonate. There are brawls, revolving door sex, financial highs and lows, and despite being married with responsibilities, a determination to continue to live a single life… until the penny drops.

Good comedy should be escapism, unthreatening and funny. Splitsville is all of this. It is harmless fun in a world where harm dominates. It is a nice reminder that we can still create harmless things these days, despite the scars endured by our two or more onscreen couples.

As with nearly all American stories, the temptation to reconcile everything positively drives how the plot ends. There is some good physical comedy, some funny lines, an implausible reality, send-ups of bromances and romances and a happy escapist jaunt through what struggles to pass for marriage and commitment.