BUDDY
(director/writer: Casper Kelly; screenwriter: Jamie King; cinematographer: Zach Kuperstein; editor: Josh Ethier; music: Michael Yezerski; cast: Cristin Milioti (Grace), Delaney Quinn (Freddy), Topher Grace (Ben), Keegan-Michael Key (voice-Buddy), Michael Shannon (cowboy/ventriloquist dummy), Ed Bauza (Mr. Mailbox), Clint Howard (voice-George), Patton Oswalt (voice-Strappy backpack), Jimmica Collins (Betty, a Bunny Rabbit), Phuong Kubacki (the human Nurse, Nancy), Benny Tailor (Mailman Miles), Luke Speakman (Josh), Brooke Bloom (Dr. Deborah Burr), Caleb “C.J.” Williams (Wade), Madison Skyy Polan (Hannah), Tristan Borders (Oliver), Devon Hawkes Ludlow (voice-Charlie the Train), Seamus Flynn (Timothy), Bryson JonSteele (Derek); Runtime: 95; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Tyler Davidson, Drew Sykes, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, Tracy Rosenblum; Saban; 2026)
“Haunting TV kiddie show from the 1990s.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Casper Kelly known for his 11 minute pic,”Too Many Cooks,” in 2014, directs and co-writes with Jamie King this offbeat, live action, haunting, TV kiddie show from the 1990s based on fictionally recreating the PBS program Barney & Friends from 1999. It’s scary and inanely funny, but is incoherent when the fantasy world blends with the real world.
Buddy (voice-Keegan-Michael Key) is a large orange unicorn who lives in Happy Town. He’s cuddly and offers life lessons to the kiddies at “The Clubhouse” TV show in nearby Diamond City, and also offers them inspirational songs such as “You Gotta Be Scared to Be Brave.” He interacts playfully with animations like the backpack Strappy (voice-Patton Oswalt), and other furry animals like Betty Bunny (Jimmica Collins). There’s also adults around like the human Nurse Nancy (Phuong Kubacki) and Mailman Miles (Benny Tailor), and there’s a space for a Worry Well, where the kids can unload their problems in its wishing well.
The suburban nurse Grace (Cristin Milioti) and her hubby Ben (Topher Grace) have two youngsters (Seamus Flynn & Bryson JonSteele) and a child they don’t know about, which fuels the story with a further eeriness.
The idyllic fantasy world of Buddy’s is crushed when his sinister secret life is exposed by a rebellious little boy, Josh (Luke Speakman), who awakens Buddy’s dark side and is killed when Buddy goes berserk. When the little girl Freddy (Delaney Quinn) calls out that children hanging around Buddy are missing, he’s hunted down as a serial killer.
Its pop culture story premise starts out promising but turns more muddled and subversive than funny. But despite its flaws, it still might interest those who find its high-concept riff on childhood nostalgia creative and funny enough.
It played at the Sundance Film Festival.
REVIEWED ON 9/17/2026 GRADE: C+
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