A Nasty Piece of Work (2019)

I'm going to lean into the reality in which this is a movie, as opposed to the reality we actually inhabit in which it's an episode in a Blumhouse-produced holiday horror anthology television series called "Into the Dark," since Hulu seems to have unbundled these at some point and now presents them as standalone movies. But over in that alternate universe, this was part of the second season of Into the Dark, which means there's at least three other installments relevant to our interests (another Christmas and two New Year's). And after my experience with A Nasty Piece of Work, I'm interested in checking those out.

This isn't a life-changing experience or some kind of hidden masterpiece, but I was entertained, which is as good a description of what this is setting out to do as any. To put this another way, while this is technically horror/comedy, it leans so far towards to the latter as to read almost more like dark comedy. That's neither intended as a criticism or compliment, but it's probably worth being aware of.

Speaking of statements that sound like criticism and aren't, the holiday elements are paradoxically omnipresent and without substance. There are quite a few references to Christmas in the script, in addition to an abundance of decoration, but neither seems reflected in the themes or story. This reads to me like a script that got rewritten for the holidays to justify its inclusion in a holiday-themed anthology. I have no idea if that's actually how it materialized, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least.

Again, that's not in any way a complaint, just my analysis. Despite coming off as surface-level, the Christmas elements permeate the tone, so if you're looking for something unorthodox to watch over the holidays, this makes for a satisfying option. If anything, the lack of traditional holiday themes and tropes means this feels different from the vast majority of seasonal offerings. 

The premise, incidentally, centers around an overworked, underappreciated office worker who's invited to the boss' mansion to face off against his rival for a covered executive position. Joining them are their wives (boss' included), and these six characters are the only ones with more than a few minutes of screentime. The tension (and comedy) hinges on how outlandish the trials and tests become. 

I should note the movie's ending, while not at all bad, is obvious more or less as soon as the premise is. Before I get to any of that, if you're a fan of this stuff and are adverse to spoilers... I guess it doesn't matter? I mean, I just said it's all pretty obvious from around the end of act one (if not sooner), so you can probably read on content in the knowledge you'd figure it out anyway. The movie's merits are more in the journey than destination anyway.

Before we get to that destination, there's a gauntlet of tests and ordeals for the two applicants and their wives. The men are played off each other, their spouses, and challenged directly by the boss and his wife, who incidentally seem to despise each other. That culminates in the boss shooting his wife in the head at the end of the first act - the grisliest sequence in the film, though it's impact is blunted by your (correct) skepticism she's as dead as she seems.

The mind games escalate from there and include unseen men hiding in the walls, seemingly genuine threats of suicide, and ultimately the applicants being pressured to murder either each other or someone else, with the promise of a cushy executive-level position waiting for whichever proves they're worthy. 

The twist, naturally, occurs when the main character's wife grabs the gun and executes the boss and his wife. When the four survivors emerge they find the men who were hiding in the walls waiting. Unsurprisingly, they're the company's board, and they couldn't be happier: the murders saved them a fortune in salary. And the position goes to the one who's obviously qualified, the woman who pulled the trigger. 

It's admittedly treading dangerously close to tired tropes from the 2010s where feminism is reduced to replacing a dangerous man we're supposed to hate with a dangerous woman we're supposed to like. To be fair, you can also read the ending as ominous, though almost everyone seems so happy that's not really what sticks. Though to be even fairer, it's fun, so who cares if its criticism of capitalism doesn't go far enough?

The protagonists are Kyle Howard and Angela Sarafyan as the main couple, but the real stars here are the boss and his wife, played by Julian Sands and Molly Hagan, who approach the roles like they their characters just finished battling GI Joe. Sands and Hagan are clearly having the time of their lives, and their joy is infectious. Dustin Milligan and Natalie Hall are also good as the other couple.

I know I said this was light on Christmas themes, but there's a case to be made this might be playing off European traditions of lords hosting their servants during the holidays, or event traditions such as the Feast of Fools, where social orders are inverted (some masks used at the start and end seem to evoke this idea). I'm skeptical that was intended, though - it feels more like a happy coincidence - but if you're straining for a yuletide connection, that's a possibility.

Ultimately, it's fairly academic, though. Whether it started as a callback to ancient traditions or was rewritten to justify production as Christmas media, it's fun and darkly comedic. And the holiday elements, even if they're only skin deep, make this a good choice for midwinter viewing. The fact it's a brisk hour and seventeen minutes doesn't hurt, either.