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When old guy friends get together, there will inevitably be lots of jokes, some insults, and some wild stories about old adventures. But in Small Engine Repair, a trio of old friends finds themselves cutting through the jokes and the insults to do a very serious job.
Small Engine Repair reunites with lifelong friends Frank (John Pollono), Swaino (Jon Bernthal), and Packie (Shea Whigham). Through the years, they’ve been through so much together—and even after a bar fight that left them estranged for months, there’s one thing that can always bring them back together: Frank’s teenage daughter, Crystal (Ciara Bravo). When Frank calls in his old friends for a night of catching up, telling old stories, and watching the fight, they have to overcome some awkwardness—but they’re not expecting that they’ve been called in for a big favor.
As the film gets to know these characters, it explores the old saying “Boys will be boys” from the perspectives of some very different male characters. Frank struggles with a temper that often gets him into trouble. Swaino is an unapologetic ladies’ man. And Packie is the sensitive one. They tell jokes that are inappropriate. They attack each other where they know it hurts. But they’re also honest with each other—because they know they can be.
The film also has a lot to say about friendships through the years. As these men open up and tell their stories, there’s a lighthearted joking that comes with decades of friendship. But there’s something so much deeper underneath: the shared experiences and the loyalty that just can’t be replaced. These men may have had their fights and their falling outs, but their ties really are unbreakable.
When their night is broken up by a visit from a rich college kid, though, the dynamic changes. Something about him makes them increasingly uncomfortable: his entitlement, his overconfidence, his easy acceptance of his father’s homophobic behavior, his jokes about the girls whose lives he’s ruined. And that’s where the story shifts.
Still, the story shifts at a strange time. It’s clear quite early on that there’s a reason for this reunion—that Frank has ulterior motives. But it takes a while for the film to turn from the somewhat tiresome jokes and conversations and general insecure masculinity to something more tense and memorable. And when it finally does, it throws everything off-balance.
Small Engine Repair is a complex film, offering up its perspectives on things like parenting, social media, and toxic masculinity. It’s not an easy film to watch; in fact, it’s sometimes absolutely maddening. And the shifts and off-balance storytelling add to the challenge. But its story will definitely leave audiences with a lot to consider.
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