Welcome to Splitsville

Splitsville [2025]

Film

You know what they say, marriage is hard. But honestly, friendship might be harder—or maybe that's only the case if you sleep with your best friend's wife. Best friends and co-workers Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin dissect the fallout of such an extramarital event in their latest film Splitsville. A delightfully entertaining blend of screwball comedy and prestige drama, the dynamic duo infuses their stylishly dry and witty humor—built across a friendship of 15 years—into their sensational new film. Brimming with side-splitting laughter, tender moments, stylish flair, and a shocking level of grounded realism, Splitsville shows that the best comedies are born from genuine relationships—both on and off screen.

The wild relationship comedy-drama begins with Carey (Marvin) and his wife, Ashley (Adria Arjona), driving to a lake house to meet their good friends Paul (Angelo Covino) and his wife, Julie (Dakota Johnson). After a close call with a deadly car accident, shot with sensational effect from a hood-mounted camera, Ashley tells Carey she wants a divorce. Quite literally running to Paul and Julie's lake house for comfort, Carey learns of his friends' open marriage, and one thing leads to another. The steps of Splitsville's relationship drama may unfold in a predictable, foreshadowed way, but it's this telegraphed structure that allows the genuine friendship at the film's center to shine through, elevating what could be groan-inducing moments of blatant hinting into laughter-inducing punchlines.

This authenticity manifests most clearly in the film's technical achievements. The relationship between Angelo Covino's direction and Adam Newport-Berra's cinematography, along with the film being shot in 35mm, delivers massive dividends that harken to 1970s screwball comedy while giving a wholly modern feel. Extravagant shots like riding a rollercoaster while holding ten bags of goldfish or a oner of a constantly changing set juxtaposed with a simple mix of wide angle lenses and intimate close-ups provide a wonderfully complex visual texture—visual flourishes that only work because they're grounded in the genuine connection at the film's heart, making Splitsville much more than just a classic rom-com.

Splitsville [2025]

More than technical prowess, though, it's Angelo Covino and Marvin's relationship that pushes Splitsville beyond its expectations. Their co-written script is hilarious, providing eye-rolling puns, tremendous build-up to thematic jokes throughout, and even lands the more crass, nudity-focused jokes, causing an eruption of laughter in the theater when a police officer plainly asks Marvin's Carey, "Sir, why is your penis out?" Beyond their writing relationship, it's refreshing to see their on-screen friendship feel authentic and honest. Their chemistry elevates not only the story within Splitsville, and the drama surrounding a feeling of betrayal, but the comedy between the two. From plainly written jokes to the seven-minute oner fight scene between Paul and Carey, their characters' involvement with one another feels lived-in, like we know they've been best friends for years, as opposed to performed.

The gravitational pull of the two filmmakers' chemistry amplifies the rest of the cast as well. Arjona delivers a transcendent supporting performance with both comedy and heart, along with Johnson's sharp wit, which she's come to be known for. Turning Splitsville into not just a story about two guys and the fallout in their relationship, but an ensemble film that disarms preconceived notions through well-executed humor, exploring a diverse selection of ideas such as male fragility, open relationships, and the assumptions we make about our partners. Even delivering on some heartwarming motif for the next generation, like Paul and Julie's son Russ (Simon Webster) saying "you never know what something's worth until you sink it" or Julie practicing the Japanese art of Kintsugi (where gold is used to repair cracks in pottery).

It's clear that Angelo Covino and Marvin aren't simply a comedy duo, but are phenomenal filmmakers, growing in their craft since their last film, The Climb, and firmly establishing themselves as exciting names to keep an eye on in the future. Yet, what's most important is they've proven something essential about comedy, especially modern comedy. The funniest moments don't come from setups and punchlines, but from the spaces between people who truly know each other. Splitsville suggests that it's possible friendship isn't harder than marriage after all—at least not when you're willing to work through the messy, complicated, hilariously human parts together. In a landscape of manufactured buddy comedies, Covino and Marvin have created something rarer. A film where the laughs feel as genuine as the friendships that inspire them, making Splitsville one of the year's most essential comedies.

Froth

Angelo Covino and Marvin's film really stood out to me in its almost anarchic aura. Scenes on the verge of collapse, teetering on a razor's edge-provoked by stellar camera work and framing-allowing the film to evolve into something much more than your run-of-the-mill rom-com. It's inherent complexities drove me to enjoying a brew of Fair Isle Brewing's, one they recently brought back to quell my yearning. Loraine is a saison, Fair Isle award winning style, that was originally released in 2023 and has been luckily brought back into the taproom once again. It's bright, effervescent, and wields a lush lychee flavor from its Gewürztraminer (a white wine grape variant) refermentation that is exquisite. I also don't think I've ever had a saison, let alone a beer, that utilizes pomace (Loraine uses Mencía and Tempranillo pomace) the leftover grape skins, seeds, and stems and let me tell you it is quite the experience. The rustic, earthy flavors give Loraine the same complexities that allow Splitsville to flourish-without the adultery-and provide delightful wine characteristics that make it one beguiling beverage. Needless to say I absolutely loved it and can't wait to try more, an experience which I'm sure will give me different flavors than before.