Writer/director Ian Kimble’s debut feature Dead Giveaway—expanded from his short—is more playful than scary, which works in its favor.
Jill (Ruby Modine) wakes up, hungover, next to a dead body. She’s convinced she didn’t kill the corpse, but she also doesn’t know what happened or what to do about it. Calling her bestie, Lia (Mikaela Hoover) for help, the friends try to “Sherlock” the events of last night and dispose of the corpse. However, Jill’s nosy roommate Sarah (Suzann Toni Petrongolo), a hot guy named Tony (Jeremy Feight), as well as Mark (Buddy Caine), who is looking for his missing brother Jay (Jessie Allen Hitner), who was with Jill last night, keep interrupting them. When Vicky (Scout Taylor-Compton) enters the picture, things really get complicated.
Dead Giveaway has fun in the banter between Jill and Lia, even though they tell a series of unconvincing lies. Kimble shows his flair as a filmmaker by keeping the pace lively with a jazzy score and some jump-cut editing and a running sight gag. He creates tension in the various awkward moments Jill and Lia encounter. However, one comic sequence, where Jill tries to muffle someone in the shower while Sarah is trying to set some roommate boundaries, strains credibility. At least the solution to the crime is engaging with Jill’s recollections, along with a recounting of the previous evening’s events show how all the puzzle pieces fit together.
The attractive cast performs well, with Hoover a standout for her amusing deadpan sarcasm. Ultimately, Dead Giveaway is more cute than thrilling.
Directed by Ian Kimble
Written by Ian Kimble
Starring Ruby Modine, Mikaela Hoover, Scout Taylor-Compton, Buddy Caine
Not rated, 87 minutes
