Inasmuch as unprecedented global disaster unfolds around them, a group of friends react in a mostly petty and self-centered way. Unspoken tensions rise to the surface in long-term romantic relationships. A friend focuses on self-preservation, taking stock of potential weapons and avenues of escape. Another denies anything is going on, saying ‘just because the media is reporting something doesn’t mean it’s true’. A doctor dismisses her potential first responder duties by explaining that she’s not on call, while her teacher friend shuts down completely. Together it’s a darkly funny look at how humans can bend under pressure.

It may look like a film made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s a small-scale comedy that hit theaters a decade ago. The disaster in It is a disaster is a dirty bombing of the United States by an unknown enemy, but writer-director Todd Berger cleverly anticipates many of the reactions Americans would have to the real-life disaster of 2020. His humor is brutal yet empathetic, never never turning its protagonists into caricatures. They may be terrible people, but their actions are relatable and sometimes even perversely noble.

It helps that Berger has assembled a remarkably talented cast, with actors who can balance genuine emotion and deadpan humor. They’re a mix of recognizable veterans and some of Berger’s cohorts in The Vacationeers comedy troupe, and they blend in perfectly. Almost all of It is a disaster takes place inside the tasteful home owned by married couple Pete (Blaise Miller) and Emma (Erinn Hayes), who are hosting one of their longtime couple brunches, and before the outside world even knows starts to break down, there are a lot of forced smiles and strained banter.

Tracy (Julia Stiles) gives her date, Glenn (David Cross), a lengthy recap of off-topic as they walk to the front door, warning him of potential minefields in the conversation. For much of the film, the stranger Glenn seems to be the most sensible person in the house, focused on practical solutions while the other characters get caught up in personal drama or make rash decisions that could endanger everyone. world. It’s easy to sympathize with her exasperation, though most people would probably behave more like Tracy and her friends.

David Cross’ Glenn seems to be the only character focused on practical solutions.

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These friends also include long-engaged Shane (Jeff Grace) and Hedy (America Ferrera), and free-spirited married couple Buck (Kevin M. Brennan) and Lexi (Rachel Boston). They’re all so caught up in their passive-aggressive bickering that they barely notice the increasingly frequent sirens outside, and their first reaction when the electricity and phone reception go out is to blame each other. Comic book fan Shane is mostly upset that he can’t log in to complete his bid for a copy of the Weird X-Men issue featuring the first appearance of Alpha Flight.

Gradually, the characters realize something is seriously wrong, but it’s not until Pete and Emma’s neighbor Hal (Shepherd) shows up at the door in a hazmat suit. that they understand the true gravity of the situation. Even as he warns them of the impending danger of the Dirty Bombs, he manages to complain about not being invited to brunch before putting his gas mask back on and leaving them to fend for themselves. “You can’t leave us here like this,” Emma protests. “Yes, I can,” he said as he left.

Tracy attends a conference while sending some late friends back into the apocalypse.

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The friends offer equally harsh treatment to a perpetually late couple who arrive late for brunch, already sick from exposure to the chemicals the bombs spread. As Tracy refuses to let them in, she reminds them that they wouldn’t be in this dilemma if they just showed up to events on time. A later establishment plan that reveals their fate is one of the film’s funniest moments for how casually it deals with such gruesome aftermath.

But Berger’s humor is rarely mean-spirited, and as the day progresses and the characters become more open and honest, there are moments of genuine heartache and angst. Stiles acts quiet as Tracy listens to music and lists all the things she can never do, and Ferrera projects a mixture of anger and despair as Hedy faces the group’s terrible fate. One of the longtime couples is reconciling, while another is breaking up, and both developments are meaningful and well-deserved.

There’s a catharsis to the doomsday dance party that brings everyone together, though Berger closes the film on a note of biting humor that suits the cynical tone. No matter how reprehensibly these people behave, they’re still good for a laugh.