thefilmstage: Take a portion of The Devils, add a splash of The Witch, a heaping of Monty Python, an

thefilmstage:

Take a portion of The Devils, add a splash of The Witch, a heaping of Monty Python, and then douse it in the comedy of today and you have The Little Hours. Set in a 1347 medieval Italy, Jeff Baena’s follow-up toJoshypacks an even bigger cast — including Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Kate Micucci, Aubrey Plaza, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Nick Offerman, Fred Armisen, Jemima Kirke, Adam Pally,andPaul Reiser — and marks a step forward in his directorial style, even if the comedy ends up running out of steam. As our trio of nuns over-indulge in sacramental wine and take part in God-forbidden sexual desires, the cast exudes a lovable charm, despite the nagging sense they had more amusement making it then the audience has watching it.

Based on an amalgamation of short stories in Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron, The Little Hours may base its structural foundation on 14th century classic Italian literature, but running through its bones is modern comedic stylings. With no shortage of everyday vulgarities, the cast plays the proceedings mostly straight-faced. Whether it’s Plaza’s nun character asking the well-meaning local groundskeeper, “What the fuck are you looking at?” in the first laugh of the film or Offerman’s war-ravaged knight exclaiming his battle victories at the dinner table to the vexation of his unfaithful wife, this anachronistic approach provides much of the humor.

Continue reading our Sundance review of The Little Hours.