Film Review: "The Climb" (2019).

From the creators of The Climb comes The Climb. This comedy-drama film directed by Michael Angelo Covino and written by Covino and Kyle Marvin. Mike is a better cyclist than Kyle. So, it figures that a steep French mountain is the best place to ruefully confess that he's slept with Kyle's fiancee, where his best friend can process this betrayal in relative solitude but can't quite match Mike's pedal power to take revenge.

The film was originally scheduled for a March 20, 2020 release date. Previously, Sony Pictures Classics stated they would go ahead with the release of the film despite the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it was later pulled from the schedule, and rescheduled to July 17, 2020. It was then delayed to October 9, 2020 and again to November 13, 2020.

The film stars Covino, Marvin, Gayle Rankin, Judith Godrèche, Talia Balsam, and George Wendt. Originality is the real juice here. Covino and Marvin tackle friendship tales in unconventional, yet highly rewarding, ways that create organic comedy. It all hits hard. Covino and Martin find a cadence to their dialogue that perfectly props up the tension of cinematographer Zach Kuperstein's long takes that revel in awkward interactions and hard truths. Overseeing a series of staggering unbroken takes, Kuperstein floats his camera alongside the characters as they encounter tricky terrain, both emotional and topographic. For all the absurdist laughs and not a few cringes both men wring from it, their interplay feels both inherently ridiculous and entirely true to life; a bittersweet bromance writ in whiskey and spandex. There's a familiarity to a lot of the movie's material, but Covino and Marvin make a notable impression as 'everyday guys' without being generic.

The film struggles amidst challenging competition, using a low budget and no recognizable stars. It conquers these limitations with a fresh and sincere take on meaningful aspects of everyday life. The acerbic quality of the humor, instead of souring the whole thing, actually proves to be the zing the film needs to play enjoyably. A comedy that's peculiar and thoughtful but mostly peculiar, with its own weird flourishes and offbeat rhythms. Deeply understands and appreciates the bloviating and awkward aspects of adult male friendship that many films take for granted. Instead of mocking traditional American masculinity, the film explains why the grip of the tough-guy image is still so strong. An absolute gem of a comedy/drama. It's frequently hilarious, and on a different wavelength than most comedies I've seen. The film has a lot to say that's true to life, depicting jealousy and insecurities, idiotic power games, as well as genuine affection and moments that, unexpectedly, touch your heart. Would've made my list of last year's best films had there been any way for me to have watched it without possibly killing my elderly relatives. With the film, Covino, with Marvin, breaks the mold with its wildly funny tracking shots, making us laugh even as we're marveling at the intricate technical skill required to pull off such shots.

Simon says The Climb receives: