Little Evil

Little Evil is a more than had me sold on the concept alone. Take a nice guy who's married a lovely woman with a young son...who's also the antichrist. A comedy about being the step-dad to Damien. I'll happily add that to the my raining day Netflix queue. Wait it stars Adam Scott? And it was filmed in and around Cleveland including scenes at Pioneer water park that featured someone I went to high school with as an extra? And it was made by Eli Craig, the writer/director of the amazing Tucker & Dale vs. Evil? Well looks like I'm watching this NOW.

The story revolves around the newlywed Gary (Adam Scott) who's just married and moved in with the woman of his dreams Samantha (Evangaline Lily) and her quiet son Lucas. Though expecting some growing pains as a new dad, Gary is startled by Lucas' refusal to make eye contact, creepy hand puppet, and the trail of destruction that seems to follow him. Determined to keep his marriage intact, Gary attempts to track down Lucas' origins and potentially, stop the apocalypse.

As indicated earlier, I was predisposed to like Little Evil. I really liked the concept and the people making it, so it got a giant benefit of the doubt. Though that means nothing if the movie isn't enjoyable.

Thankfully Little Evil is right in my wheelhouse. Why? Let's dive in.

Great Use of the Concept

There's a lot of small decisions in this script that make it stronger or better than, "a comedy version of my son is the antichrist." In particular it's the framing of Gary being Lucas' step-dad with his birth mother in the picture.

If the film decided to go The Omen's route (where Damien is adopted by the parents) we'd be dealing with an ugly stereotype of sorts, the woman who's oblivious to what's going on around her. But by making Samantha Lucas' birth mother the film can draw parallels to the difficulties of being a new step-parent. Lucas' mother is naturally protective of her child, and any acusations of wrong-doing, Lucas doesn't approve of a new dad he didn't get to choose, Gary feels like Lucas' hostility is the sign of something deeply unsettling. It's very human awkwardness made funny by the extreme circumstances.

This angle also creates a bunch of great setups like group therapy sessions for step-dads, easily my favorite scenes, the most awkward parent visit to an elementary school ever and much more.

Terrific Casting

This movie does an excellent job at putting its actors in their comfort zones. Adam Scott has made his career playing likable pushovers prone to big reactions in extreme circumstances (see Parks & Recreation) so seeing him as a step-dad trying to give his step-son a chance while also wondering why his mother can't see the issue is perfect. Likewise his counterpart Evangaline Lily nails the mixture of lilywhite housewife, protective mother, and secret keeper. 

The supporting roles, are all type cast gloriously. Tyler Labine gets a scene as a pretentious videographer. Donald Faison, Chris D'Elia, and Kyle Bornheimer all deliver as members of the step-dad support group. Freaking Sally Field shows up in this movie for a couple of scenes and nails them.

But my supporting cast MVP has to be Bridget Everett as Al. Everett has been an amazing comedic presence for years, seriously her comedy rock show is stellar, and this is the first property that's let her unleash it on a film audience. Her buddy comedy scenes with Scott are fantastic and I'm hoping she gets bigger and better roles like this moving forward.

Oddly Light-hearted

While the film would get an R-rating, predominantly due to language and some violent images, Little Evil has a very bemused attitude towards its subject matter. Obviously framing the film as a comedy has a lot to do with it, but it's also reflective of Eli Craig's directing choices. The movie is predominantly brightly lit, which promotes a light atmosphere and provides a great contrast against Lucas' dark clothing and pale skin. Gory imagery is predominantly inferred and not shown, we avoid a Rosemary' Baby conception scene for instance. The film's visual language tells us this is all in good fun. There are a couple of spooky scenes but these are intentionally put against the film's bouncy visuals to present contrast and change.

The movie has a couple of flaws, i.e. it doesn't really commit to the horror aspect of the horror comedy, and the transition between the second and third act is a little clumsy, but overall Little Evil a likable romp. Well crafted, casted, and made, Little Evil isn't a groundbreaking film, but it's fun, especially for you Omen fans. Check it out.