Tribeca Festival Review: ‘The Everything Pot’ Winds Up a Bit Too Silly For Its Own Good

When a comedy runs out of gas, you feel it more so than any other genre. There’s just something about when the laughs die down and the thinness (oftentimes) of the plot comes to the forefront that makes me sad. It’s a sadness born out of enjoying the film while it was firing on all cylinders. That’s the case here with The Everything Pot, a Tribeca Festival title that starts out amusing but ends up too silly and too thin for its own good.

The Everything Pot has a nice little premise, but one that would more comfortably sustain a short than a narrative feature. It’s in stretching things out to the 90 minute mark that the more suffers. Make no mistake, it’s far from a bad flick, but one that ends up ultimately disappointing, given where it charmingly begins.

Rachel (Lisa Edelstein) and Adam (Erik Griffin) are a married couple in their 50s who have sent their daughter off to college. The empty nesters are having troubles, but neither think much of it. The same goes for when Rachel RSVPs to the wedding of former colleague Charlie (James Wolk) immediately after receiving it. Charlie and his fiancée Clare (Delaney Rowe) are amused, if puzzled, initially when she’s the first to say yes to the event, but when her wedding gift arrives immediately as well, Clare suspects something is up.

What ensues is a comedy of errors in which everyone make things worse, especially when Charlie and/or Rachel are trying to put Clare at ease. Eventually, both couples are on the verge of ruin, all because Rachel pulled the trigger on an Everything Pot too quickly. It’s amusing at the start, but things go round and round a bit too much, even if the ending is fairly cute.

The cast does what they can with the slightly undercooked idea, with Lisa Edelstein best in show. James Wolk gets nearly as much screen time as her, and he’s solid, but she has the most to do. Edelstein is the one character we get under the skin of, almost saving the flick in the process. Erik Griffin is mostly in the background during the first half, but gets some fun things to do on the back end, even when the film is falling apart. Delaney Rowe is a bit underserved by the premise, but does her best to overcome it. Supporting players include Deja Monique Cruz, Gina Torres, and more.

Writer/director Sherise Dorf eventually loses the handle on The Everything Pot, but when it’s early on in the film and lower key, there’s plenty to like. She has a simple directing style, but in the first act, the miscommunications are charming and witty. It’s just as they compound that things get too silly and ultimately fall flat. I’m curious to see what she does next with a slightly tighter script.

The Everything Pot has highs and lows, but it ultimately gets too silly and too thin for its premise. There are definitely worse Tribeca titles out there, but since there are better ones as well, it’s hard to recommend this one. Sadly, it falls a bit short.

SCORE: ★★1/2