For many in the younger generation, Y2K is often recognized as a flashy late ’90s/early 2000s aesthetic. As someone who spent part of my childhood in that era, it’s both nostalgic and surreal to see this cultural revival amongst younger people, but it’s even stranger knowing many aren’t familiar with much of the history from this time.
Before the 2000s, computer programs often used the ending two digits to represent the year in a date. A flaw programmers failed to realize at the time was that once the year 2000 hit, this computer software would fail because of an error now known as the “Y2K Bug.” Because technology had increasingly integrated into society, there was public paranoia about disasters fueled by malfunctioning technology and data impairment.
With popular indie film distributor A24’s latest release, “Y2K,” director Kyle Mooney taps into both the fear and nostalgia of the Y2K era and creates a comical alternate reality in which the worst-case scenario unfolds.
The film follows two high school losers determined to become somebodies who crash a New Year’s party. Danny, played by Julian Dennison (“Deadpool 2”), wants to hook up with girls, and Eli, played by Jaeden Martell (“It”), yearns for the “girl of his dreams,” the tech-wiz Laura, played by Rachel Zegler (“West Side Story”). Later in the night, their dreams shift into nightmares as the Y2K bug causes technology to gain sentience and violently revolt against humans.
“Y2K” is an ambitious film. Boasting a cast of rising young actors and dealing with crude, yet heartfelt, adolescent material, Mooney appears to be aiming to make the next big teen movie. At the same time, the film seems to parody campy, B-horror flicks with its over-the-top narrative. The film plays out like an extended 2010s YouTube comedy reminiscent of the early skits of Ryan Higa, “Smosh” and “Filthy Frank.”
This all combines into a bizarre salad of incongruous ingredients that Mooney ultimately fumbles through a lack of clear direction. The film starts strong with an exciting narrative. The first 35 minutes are incredibly fun and fly fast. The rest of the movie trips and falls on its face.
Mooney’s ideas merge into an inconsistent slush that leaks and devolves into a mess no one wants to sit through. It’s hard to distinguish between what’s supposed to be authentic and what’s supposed to be a gag. Halfway through the film, a group of teens sitting behind me walked out of the theater. They were the only other people besides me in that audience.
The movie simply loses its energy as it goes on. The pacing plummeted, the gags grew stale, and the tone became erratic. It became tiring to sit through it. Honestly, I even considered leaving. Maybe the projectionist might’ve walked out as well since nobody seemed to want to watch this crap movie.
Without a doubt, the biggest sin “Y2K” commits is wasting its talented cast. Notable young stars are featured in this film, including Australian rapper Kid LAROI. Many of the side characters have a comic liveliness that brings energy to the film, but for some reason they are brushed off to give more focus to the leads, Eli and Laura.
Julian Dennison is criminally underutilized in his role as Danny. Dennison’s character felt too conveniently sidelined to give more focus to Eli and Laura, which is disappointing considering how naturally funny and sharp his comedic timing is. His hilarious mid-credits scene alone was almost enough to justify the time and money I spent seeing this movie.
Similarly, Eduardo Franco appears as Farkas, Danny and Eli’s doofus bully, and steals every scene he’s in. Franco previously appeared in “Stranger Things” season 4 as Jonathan’s dim-witted best friend, Argyle. Those familiar with his performance recognize the comic brilliance Franco brought to the role, which is also apparent here. But much like Dennison, Franco’s character is squandered.
Martell and Zegler are fine as the leads, but their characters are not that interesting, which seems like a waste of their talents. Zegler, in particular, has proven herself to be one of the next big actresses in the industry–with each role she’s taken distinguishing itself in her filmography. In “Y2K,” however, Zegler’s character fails to leave the impression her other major roles carry.
“Y2K” wasn’t entirely awful. Many of the kills in this film were unexpectedly brutal and entertaining. I found the film’s dark and absurd humor genuinely funny for a while. Dennison and Franco maximized their limited material and delivered some of the most hilarious and memorable performances of their careers.
Additionally, I was pleasantly surprised with the inclusion of Limp Bizkit frontman, Fred Durst. What I feared to be a nostalgia-bait cameo, Durst, playing himself, becomes a prominent character and is as funny as he is iconic.
Despite A24’s selective curation of movies they feature in their catalog, “Y2K” fails to live up to the standard and expectations audiences have grown to associate with the indie distributor. However, those feeling nostalgic or just looking to watch something dumb and fun may have a better time with it than I did. Is it worth seeing a movie whose main gimmick is vibes and a trendy aesthetic? Sure, if it’s done right. But I can’t see much of anything done right here, so maybe not.
2/5
