Buffaloed Review
NRRuntime: 1 Hr and 35 MinutesProduction Companies: Distributor: Magnolia PicturesDirector: Tanya WexlerWriters: Brian Sacca Cast: Zoey Deutch, Judy Greer, Jermaine Fowler, Jai Courtney Release Date: February 14, 2020Peg Dahl (Zoey Deutch) is sick of wings, football, and economic depression. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to make money and get the hell out of Buffalo. Ignoring the advice of her misguided mother Kathy Dahl (Judy Greer), Peg cashes in on a series of side hustles that inevitably send her to the clink. After a stint in prison, fate lends this felon a hand by introducing her to the lucrative yet shady world of delinquent debt collection.
2020 just found its first true anti-hero and her name is Peggy Dahl.
Zoey Deutch, man. She has proven capable of helming a movie all on her own, for she is insanely talented and manages to deliver impressive performances, but this is one of her best yet. When it comes to comedies centered on con artists and their rise to power, they mostly fail because the leads are barely likable. They wear their bullshit on their sleeves, only relying on their charisma and energy to engage the audience in their lifestyle. We’ve seen it all before, where one shallow decision discourages you from rooting for that central character. In Tanya Wexler’s Buffaloed, we’re introduced to the most slick and swift hustler in the business of conning. She could single handedly con the entire ensemble of Ocean's 8 with her wit, skillset and driven spirit. In a town that sets her up to stay small and not strive for anything more, she hustles and schemes her way through life from childhood. You appreciate Peg’s hustle for how relatable and clear her motives are. Mix Jordan Belfort with a New York accent that is two octaves away from emulating Harley Quinn and you get Peggy Dahl. In the county of Buffalo, New York we follow Peggy, who always strived to get the hell out of her dead and mundane town no matter the cost. She then finds herself hustling and making her own money through scams, which leads to a stint in prison. After her release from jail, she finds herself entering the world of debt collection, a place where she can hone her talents, but it’s owned by a mob-like gang helmed by Wizz (Courtney). Wexler presents Buffalo as a dog-eat-dog town that only the scrappiest can escape.
As far as characters of this nature go, you downright love Peg because she’s fleshed out as a person thanks to the world she’s set in. Everything from her relatable drive and determination to the world where everyone she’s up against is far worse than her benefits the audience’s connection to Peg as you root for her to persevere. She’s scrappy and doesn’t ever consider defeat as an option, so as she begins to have a falling out with her boss she creates her own debt collection agency. She may be self-centered, but she's passionate and quick-thinking as she always makes the most out of a situation. What makes this comedy stand out (besides the characterization of the lead) is the deep dive the story takes into the functionality of debt collection and the fucked up aspects of it while correlating to Peg’s arc. After being threatened and objectified by the toxicity of her workplace and how they eventually start a dangerous war against the mob, you wholeheartedly root for her to take down the people who try to shut her business down.If Sorry to Bother You’s rambunctious spirit was mixed with the style and structure of The Big Short, Buffaloed would be the end product. The energetically witty script by Brian Sacca is a brilliant showcase of his sense of humor and style where the tone is light and deviates into dark areas, but it never feels disruptive. Its storytelling sets a very strong pace as it moves quickly and is filled with enough clever dialogue and laugh-out-loud jokes to keep the energy high. Plus, it’s 90 minutes long and moves like a breeze.
While the script is very strong, there are an ample amount of jokes that never seem to hit. There are visual gags that are funny and reoccurring, but they occasionally go overboard.As a New Yorker it feels odd for a movie about Buffalo, NY to pride itself in the fact that it was filmed in Vancouver, but the movie incorporates a lot of Buffalo love into its production design where the setting plays as the backbone of the story.This movie needed more Judy Greer.
Greer is a hilarious actress and every time she’s on screen as Peg’s mother, she’s incredible, whether it's to deliver an emotional beat to the story or provide frustration for the unbreakable lead. She has scenes with Deutch that are so emotional and she slings an arrow and hits a bullseye at your feels. Part of Peg’s character complex roots from her relationship with her mom and I wish it was developed more to capture a deeper emotional impact when it’s brought up.
Buffaloed is a witty, fast-paced comedy with excitingly clever storytelling and one of the best performances from Zoey Deutch.Rating: 4/5 | 81%
