Spadek & Trigger Warning (Netflix, 2024)

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Spadek (Inheritance) is a Polish comedy about a family of fools bickering about the inheritance of their eccentric uncle, who also happened to be an inventor.

It’s the kind of reliable set up that may not win any prizes for originality, but can be good for a fair number of laughs if (and that’s always a big if) executed properly. After all, is there anything that people won’t do for money?

P: After an eccentric inventor and gameshow host (Jan Peszek) has unexpectedly passed away, a family of quarreling oddballs (played by known Polish actors like Maciej Stuhr, Joanna Trzepiecinska and Mateusz Król) gathers with hopes of inheriting his fortune. 

What they don’t know, is that uncle has prepared one last game for them. This will determine who will receive his inheritance. It involves a series of tasks and puzzles, testing their ability to reconcile and work together.

The story is told through the eyes of Dawid (Stuhr) who works as a teacher and who is told by his wife that he doesn’t make enough money and nobody cares about his work. She works for the (Polish equivalent of the) Internal Revenue Service, which he considers to be not a job but a character trait, though he would never tell her that to her face.

Dawid wishes his sixteen year old daughter was still four and he also lets us on that his thirteen year old son will turn out to be the hero of the story.

So far, so not so bad. Inheritance offers up the kind of broad comedy that isn’t really my cup of tea, but at a brisk ninety minutes I was able to stay the course. And yes, I did laugh a couple of times, at the absurdity of some of the situations.

The family members start out as (mostly) obnoxious jerks, but as an ensemble they work quite well together. And of course, over time you start to see their good sides too. There is a gay couple (both called Karol) and a successful female crime writer with her much younger lover, to add some spice and diversity to the mix.

And yes, the story does have a couple of decent surprises in store, which involve uncle’s past both as a gameshow host and as an inventor. And even though it remains a comedy to the end, the movie also introduces a crime element at some point. As far as I’m concerned they could have gone all the way and turned it into a horror comedy (a la Ready Or Not) but director Sylwester Jakimow
and writer Lukasz Sychowicz chose to make a movie for all audiences (and I guess something for everyone).

If you like German comedies and/or Adam Sandler movies, Spadek is probably for you.

TRIGGER WARNING

In Trigger Warning Jessica Alba plays a skilled Special Forces commando who takes ownership of her father's bar after he suddenly dies. Soon she finds herself at odds with a violent gang running rampant in her hometown.

So pretty soon she is using her special skills that are shown in the violent opening scene (‘killing terrorists and doing spy shit!’) against her own people.

The movie certainly has its moments, even though they are few and far between, but if you have always had a soft spot for intenties direct to video action thrillers, this might just be your bag.

The cast also includes Mark Webber, Gabriel Basso and Anthony Michael Hall, Tone Bell and Jake Weary.

The movie is directed by Indonesian writer and director Mouly Surya, who made quite a name for herself with the feminist western / revenge drama Marlina The Murderer In Four Acts (2017), which premiered at Cannes and went on to win numerous awards around the globe. I just hope she got paid (a lot) for this b-movie.

Trigger Warning is now on Netflix.

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