Banana Split (2020)

By: Mike Ward on Tuesday, March 31

R Running Time: 88 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

Hannah Marks. Her breakout performance as lead actor and co-writer may go under the radar with the film’s theatrical release shuttered because of COVID-19, but she is someone worth watching.
For those who enjoy recent teen comedies like Booksmart, Blockers, and Lady Bird, then Banana Split is something that will have great appeal to the same audience.
Delivers insightful commentary on female relationships and supporting one another through the good and bad.

NO

For those who have indie-movie fatigue, Banana Split may feel a bit too free-spirited for some viewers.
Dylan Sprouse is not bad per se, but at times he feels like he’s acting in a completely different movie.
We are in a quarantine in almost every part of the United States right now. If you are tired of laughing at entertaining things, then just stare out the window a while longer.

OUR REVIEW

Though she has a long list of television work and indie movie roles to her credit, take a moment and scribble down the name Hannah Marks. Most will recognize her from television appearances on “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency”, “Necessary Roughness”, or a stint on “You’re The Worst,” but Marks gives a tremendous breakout performance in Banana Split, a dramedy about two girls who become best friends in the summer before they depart for college.

The friendship of April (Marks) and Clara (Liana Liberato) is borne out of uncomfortable circumstances. After dating Nick (Dylan Sprouse) for over a year, he and April break up with college acceptance letters from two different ends of the country being a hill too large to overcome. Nick subsequently pivots to Clara rather quickly. As a result, and while feeling completely decimated, she meets Clara at a party and they become immediate BFFs.

Keeping this hidden from Nick is at first a challenge, but quickly becomes the norm as the two become largely inseparable…when Clara is not with Nick. Nick’s best friend Ben (Luke Spencer Roberts) tries to stay out of things, but eventually gets roped into the charade and Marks’ script, co-written with collaborator Joey Power, is smart, focused, and appropriately scattershot.

While the film does mine some familiar ground, Marks’ performance is aces, her chemistry with Clara tangible and real. Director Benjamin Kasulke is a collaborator with Marks in the past, and this triad of friends and colleagues coming together on the film makes it feel in sync and efficient.

If there is one deficiency, Sprouse plays Nick somewhat too jaded and disconnected from the tone of the rest of the film. At times, it becomes difficult to believe that April or Clara would ever fall for Nick and that hampers some of the film’s credibility when conflict inevitably erupts around the tenuous friendship the girls have built for themselves.

However, for a spirited, hilarious, and thoughtful look at transitioning from teenage years to adulthood, the uncertainty of stepping out into the world on your own, and the loyalty needed in friendships and support, Banana Split gets a lot of things right.

And Hannah Marks, as actor and writer, establishes herself as much more than someone effective in the ensemble. Her emergence as a lead actor shows a bright future and great promise for what may be hopefully coming her way in the future.

Originally reviewed as part of the 2019 Seattle International Film Festival.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Hannah Marks, Liana Liberato, Dylan Sprouse, Jessica Hecht, Luke Spencer Roberts, Meagan Kimberly Smith, Haley Ramm, Jacob Batalon, Addison Riecke.

Director: Benjamin Kasulke
Written by: Hannah Marks, Joey Power
Release Date: March 27, 2020
Vertical Entertainment

Hannah Marks. Her breakout performance as lead actor and co-writer may go under the radar with the film’s theatrical release shuttered because of COVID-19, but she is someone worth watching.

For those who enjoy recent teen comedies like Booksmart, Blockers, and Lady Bird, then Banana Split is something that will have great appeal to the same audience.

Delivers insightful commentary on female relationships and supporting one another through the good and bad.

For those who have indie-movie fatigue, Banana Split may feel a bit too free-spirited for some viewers.

Dylan Sprouse is not bad per se, but at times he feels like he’s acting in a completely different movie.

We are in a quarantine in almost every part of the United States right now. If you are tired of laughing at entertaining things, then just stare out the window a while longer.