DON’T TELL LARRY

(director/writer: Greg Porper, John Schimke; cinematographer: Derek Bauer; editor: John Schimke; music: Jason & Nolan Livesay; cast: Ed Begley Jr. (Bruce), Dot-Marie Jones (Kim), Patty Guggenheim (Susan), Kiel Kennedy (Larry), Heath Allyn (Cody), Kenneth Mosley (Patrick); Runtime: 93; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Brad Kelly, John Schimke, Greg Porper; VOD; 2025)

“Its brand of comedy seems more suited for TV or the cutting-room floor.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

A strained office comedy co-directed, co-written and co-produced by Greg Porper and John Schimke. It’s an off-beat dark farce that might appeal to some because of its weirdness, while I think most viewers will find it a stinker.

Larry (Kiel Kennedy) has recently been hired to work in a travel cruise agency office in a small town in the Midwest even though he has no prior experience in that field.

Susan (Patty Guggenheim) has worked there for nine-years, receiving honors throughout as the employer of the year. The eccentric boss, Bruce (Ed Begley Jr.), promised her a promotion to be the next CEO when he will soon retire. But after the hiring of the elderly Larry, he seems to have changed his mind. The boss likes Larry despite his weirdness and that the workers find him obnoxious.

It turns out that the creepy Larry is the boss’s long-lost father, something Larry’s unaware of.

At Bruce’s retirement party, in which Larry wasn’t invited, Bruce announces Larry as the new CEO.

When Bruce accidentally falls out of a broken office window, the police detective Kim (Dot-Marie Jones) is assigned to investigate if it’s a possible murder.

Patrick (Kenneth Mosley) tries helping his workplace friend Susan prove Larry pushed Bruce out of the window, but his efforts do not help.

The detective can’t locate the missing security camera footage, while also divulging that Susan broke off an affair with his wife upon learning she was married.

The wacky comedy is filled with cringe-worthy material it keeps piling on. Its comedy about a loser acting strange never resonated on the big screen as edgy satire–its brand of comedy seems more suited for TV or the cutting-room floor.

REVIEWED ON 8/9/2025  GRADE: C
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