Peep World

A breezy, entertaining piece of work, Peep World follows four siblings (Michael C. Hall’s Jack, Rainn Wilson’s Joel, Sarah Silverman’s Cheri, and Ben Schwarz’s Nathan) as they prepare for their overbearing father’s annual birthday dinner. Peep World spends the majority of its first half dwelling on the individual exploits of the siblings in the build up to the big dinner, which effectively ensures that some of these subplots ultimately fare better than others. For example, Nathan has an ongoing storyline detailing his ill-fated decision to receive a penis-enlargement treatment from an exceedingly shady doctor – with the almost eye-rollingly puerile nature of such scenes certainly standing as a lowlight within the proceedings. Filmmaker Barry Blaustein’s sitcom-like sensibilities are generally not as problematic as one might’ve feared, with the thoroughly likeable work from the various performers undoubtedly going a long way towards cementing the film’s agreeable atmosphere. It’s also worth noting that the movie does possess a few admittedly poignant moments, with the big speech delivered by Hall’s character towards the end of the picture standing as an ideal example of this. As for that big dinner, it’s as over-the-top and full of revelations as one might’ve expected – yet there’s little doubt that the abrupt ending, which feels awfully rushed, ensures that the movie ends on a rather anti-climactic note.

**1/2 out of ****