I Don't Understand You

by Mike McGranaghan

Dom (Nick Kroll) and Cole (Andrew Rannells) want to adopt a baby. They shoot a video to send to a birthmother, explaining why their goal is to become parents and why they would be great dads. Nerves repeatedly get the best of them, causing the men to wonder if what they’re saying sounds stupid. It’s a lot of pressure. The opening scenes of I Don’t Understand You, which also include being chosen by the pregnant Candace (Amanda Seyfried), are sweet and funny. As an adoptive parent, I can tell you that they’re also spot-on.

But this is not entirely a sweet and funny movie. It’s dark and violent, with humor that could reasonably described as “sick” or “twisted.” The way it underlines a charming premise with fiendish gags is precisely what makes the film special.

The guys take a vacation to Italy while waiting for Candace to deliver. After a disastrous wrong turn, they end up at the farmhouse of Zia Luciana (Nunzia Schiano), an elderly former restaurant owner who is more than eager to feed them. The evening begins with some awkward exchanges – neither speaks the other’s language - then grows horrific when an accident occurs, causing the old lady’s death. What follows is a morbidly screwball comedy in which Dom and Cole try to cover up the death, only to cause a string of additional calamities.

The writing/directing team of David Joseph Craig and Brian Crano shows fearlessness in telling this story. Very bad things happen as a result of the characters’ actions, and those things cannot be undone. A lot of movies would have chickened out, refusing to give the men any true culpability. I Don’t Understand You makes them totally culpable in order to explore the insecurities that arise from becoming a first-time parent. Dom and Cole are forced to contemplate their own ability to be responsible fathers in light of the mess they create and the difficulty they have getting on the same page to manage it.

That we like these guys in spite of their panicked, illogical behavior is due to the strong chemistry between Kroll and Rannells. Even at their worst points, the actors infuse these men with sincerity. Their desire to build a happy, secure family shines through all the bloodshed. The irony, of course, is that the bloodshed takes place because that desire is so deeply felt. They fight to protect a dream.

I Don’t Understand You does become slightly predictable as it wears on. The central gag of repeatedly jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire makes it easy to see where each new wrinkle in the scenario will go. The movie is funny, though, and the interplay between the leads makes it worth investing 96 minutes in.

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