R.S.V.P.

The degree to which R.S.V.P. slowly but surely alienates the viewer is nothing short of remarkable, as writer/director Mark Anthony Galluzzo effectively squanders a fairly promising set-up by emphasizing the uninteresting, flat-out tedious exploits of several impossibly underdeveloped characters. The storyline follows sociopathic college student Nick Collier (Rick Otto) as he conspires to murder all of his friends during a going-away party for pal Jimmy Franklin (Lucas Babin), with the bulk of the proceedings thereafter detailing his efforts at surreptitiously knocking off his buddies one by one. It’s an incredibly familiar premise that Galluzzo initially employs to mildly positive effect, as the filmmaker does a nice job of infusing the proceedings with a light-hearted and unapologetically self-referential atmosphere (ie Hitchcock’s Rope figures prominently in Nick’s devious plans). It’s only as Nick’s myriad of guests start flooding his uncle’s roomy apartment that one’s interest slowly-but-surely begins to dwindle, with the increasingly (and frustratingly) uneventful atmosphere proving a serious test to the viewer’s ongoing patience. Despite the presence of several familiar faces within the supporting cast (including Grace Zabriskie, Nora Zehetner, and Jason Mewes), Galluzzo’s refusal to develop their respective characters even marginally ensures that their fun-loving antics grow awfully tiresome as the movie progresses (ie a Twister sequence? Really?) And while there are a few breaks in the monotony (eg a discussion revolving around serial killers through the years), R.S.V.P. subsequently (and primarily) comes off as an uncommonly interminable endeavor that would hardly be able to support the running time of a brisk short let alone a full-length feature – with the total lack of intriguing kill sequences cementing the film’s utter failure.

1/2* out of ****