Title – An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn (2018)

Director – Jim Hosking (The Greasy Strangler)

Cast – Aubrey Plaza, Jemaine Clement, Craig Robinson, Matt Berry, Emile Hirsch, Sam Dissanayake

Plot – Mismatched duo Lulu (Plaza) and Colin (Clement) remain holed up in a dingy hotel as they await a very magical evening with mysterious performer Beverly Luff Linn (Robinson) of whom Lulu has past dealings with.

 “We have a death scene”

Review by Eddie on 05/07/2019

I’m not too sure there are words that could aptly describe the oddness and overarching strangeness of An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn.

The new film from The Greasy Strangler director Jim Hosking, Buff Linn will be a somewhat familiar experience for anyone that has partaken in Hosking’s bizarre offering that got critics and audiences talking for both good and bad reasons a few years ago but its also its own beast entirely, with a more recognizable cast and an ever so slightly more straightforward story at the forefront.

Centred around Aubrey Plaza’s (great as per usual) recently made redundant Lulu Danger and her quest to be an audience member in Craig Robinson’s mysterious Beverly Luff Linn’s show at a local hotel, as well as a potential romance with Jemaine Clement’s criminal for hire Colin and the stalking of her husband Shane played by Emilie Hirsch, Buff Linn continues on Hosking’s oddball and more than likely audience alienating humour and direction that is likely to win the filmmaker an equal share of detractors and champions.

In no rush to go anywhere fast, as evidenced by multiple scenes of intense coughing fits, wind troubles and Sam Dissanayake’s Adjay’s disdain at not getting his stolen money returned, whether or not you will enjoy Luff Linn rests entirely on how you take it on face value, with Hosking uninterested in doing anything by the rule book as his game and quite hilarious cast show themselves willing to dive headfirst into this kooky world of lost love, fandom and cheesy onion rings.

There’s a fair portion of the film that doesn’t work, and at over 100 minutes Hosking would’ve done well to cut 15 – 20 minutes from the runtime, but when things click, Luff Linn offers up a comedic experience unlike anything else in the market, with its mix of feelings and characters coming across like a strange hybrid of a Wes Anderson/Napoleon Dynamite/Indie Romance feature.

In amongst all the misfiring and drawn out jokes are absolute gems of comedy cold, a fantastic musical score by Andrew Hung while Plaza, Clement, Dissanayake and British comedian Matt Berry (as the wonderfully titled Rodney Von Donkensteiger) are an absolute blast, with the only real disappointment stemming from a misplaced Hirsch who just can’t quite nail the tone of the film, while the usually scene stealing Robinson is sadly underutilized in a grunt filled role that only really comes to life once we get to witness Luff Linn’s oft delayed magical show.

Final Say –

After The Greasy Strangler and now this, Jim Hosking is quickly establishing himself as a unique talent and while there’s no way on current form he will crack the mainstream, for those that enjoy his clearly defined stylings and humour, An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn may just be your new favourite cult comedy with added heart and soul to boot.

4 cappuccinos out of 5