Published May 5th, 2026
BY JOHANNA MELTON
A ludicrous and ultimately trippy watch, the comedy film “Pizza Movie,” featuring “Stranger Things” star Gaten Matarazzo along with actors Sean Giambrone and
Lulu Wilson, defies all expectations, proving to be a memorably hilarious and just plain weird adventure filled with fun times and completely out-of-pocket humor.
Directed by former “Saturday Night Live” writers Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney, the film follows exaggeratingly bullied college freshmen roommates, Jack (Matarazzo) and Montgomery (Giambone), who, after finding a mysterious tin of fictional psychedelic drugs labeled as mints, are launched into seven stages of shared hallucinations, that end with their worst nightmare coming to life and killing them unless they end the trip by eating pizza. Jack and Montgomery are forced to team up with former friend and current bully Lizzy (Wilson), and the three set off on a strange, awkward adventure to obtain this life-saving meal, dodging obstacles such as delivery bots, the school’s RA group and unexpected emotional confrontations.
The film may not go down in history, but it is successful in its genre, embedding many comedic gems within fast-paced plotlines acted out brilliantly by Matarazzo, Giambone and Wilson. Impossible to predict, “Pizza Movie” makes itself so bad it’s good, with loveable characters, hallucinatory visuals and a strong focus on the importance of true friendship.
The strange humor and unpredictable storyline of “Pizza Movie” offers a much needed opportunity for laughter and unseriousness. Courtesy of HULU
Despite the praise, this is not a comedy to watch with grandma. There are many prolonged graphic moments, including a scene where the main characters’ hallucinate each other’s heads exploding in a bloody mess, then reset, only to explode again in the same disturbing fashion.
On the other hand, the writers don’t seem to care about offending anyone, which makes the film a breath of fresh air in a world so afraid of cancellation. Feeling like a modern “Superbad” on psychedelics, “Pizza Movie” is a great option for anyone wanting an easy laugh.
The movie can be hard to follow with its rapidly changing plot points and out-of-pocket humor, and the off-the-wall storyline may make viewers wonder if Hollywood is finally running out of ideas. Even if that’s true, it is a funny movie.
For what it lacks in coherence, “Pizza Movie” makes up for in visuals full of bright colors and wiggly shapes. Editing does a great job of setting a vibe for the experience of Jack and Montgomery’s emotional rollercoaster of a night.
Even with the vulgar themes and strange storyline, Kocher and McElhaney find a way to thread one message throughout the whole thing: Even the weirdest will find their people.
8/10
