Don't Tell Larry

Last updated
Don't Tell Larry
Dont tell larry.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGreg Porper
John Schimke
Written byGreg Porper
John Schimke
Produced byGreg Porper
StarringPatty Guggenheim
Kiel Kennedy
Kenneth Mosley
Dot-Marie Jones
Ed Begley Jr.
Production
company
Pro Key Entertainment
Distributed byLevel 33 Entertainment
Release dates
  • October 27, 2023 (2023-10-27)(Austin Film Festival) [1]
  • June 20, 2025 (2025-06-20)(US)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Don't Tell Larry is a 2023 American dark comedy film written and directed by Greg Porper and John Schimke. The film stars Patty Guggenheim, Kiel Kennedy, Kenneth Mosley, Dot-Marie Jones, and Ed Begley Jr.

Contents

Plot

After lying to her new eccentric coworker Larry about a company party, an ambitious promotion-seeking office worker must deal with the wildly unexpected consequences. As her white lie spirals out of control, suspicions of a mysterious workplace death surface, and Susan finds herself entangled in a chaotic cover-up that pushes her ambition and morality to the edge.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in and around the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area, with scenes set in the Upper Midwest. Porper and Schimke scouted dozens of office buildings before selecting a vacant mid-rise in Hurst, Texas, formerly occupied by an architecture firm. The space had “disassembled cubicles, broken furniture, and a floor lined with decades-old binders and dot-matrix printers.” The filmmakers rented it for two months, spending nearly four weeks cleaning it out and converting it into a functioning film set. [2]

The film began as a web series and was developed into a feature during the COVID-19 pandemic, partially funded by the filmmakers selling off personal assets. [3]

Release

Don't Tell Larry had its world premiere at the 2023 Austin Film Festival, [4] where its script had previously advanced to the Second Round in the 2020 competition. [5] It was released in select theaters as part of a day/date release in the United States on June 20, 2025, by Level 33 Entertainment. [3]

Reception

Writing for Film Threat, Sabina Dana Plasse called the film “a blast of fresh-air comedy” and described it as “loaded with laughs, gasps, and cringes.” [6]

John Edward Betancourt of Nerds That Geek described the film as “a delightfully demented black comedy” and “a perfect comedy when all is said and done.” [7]

Mike Patrick of Movie Jawn wrote that the film “brings a fresh perspective to the office comedy genre,” and includes “genuinely gripping moments.” [8]

Luna Guthrie of Collider described it as “a workplace comedy that’s as bizarre as it is unpredictable,” while noting that “some pacing issues hold it back from hitting every mark.” [9]

References

  1. "2023 Conference Schedule".
  2. Jorgenson, Todd (June 19, 2025). "How Two L.A. Filmmakers Built a DIY Movie Set in a Vacant North Texas Mid-Rise". D Magazine. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  3. 1 2 Gajewski, Ryan (May 1, 2025). "'Don't Tell Larry' Sets June Theatrical Release". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  4. Lattanzio, Ryan (October 4, 2023). "2023 Austin Film Festival Lineup Includes 'The Absence of Eden,' 'I'm Not Everything I Want to Be'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  5. "Austin Film Festival Announces 2020 Script Competition Semifinalists & Second Rounders". Austin Film Festival. September 15, 2020. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  6. Plasse, Sabina Dana (June 16, 2025). "Don't Tell Larry: A Blast of Fresh-Air Comedy". Film Threat. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  7. Betancourt, John Edward (October 2023). "Austin Film Festival Movie Review: 'Don't Tell Larry'". Nerds That Geek. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  8. Patrick, Mike (June 20, 2025). "DON'T TELL LARRY brings fresh perspective to the office comedy". Movie Jawn. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  9. Guthrie, Luna (June 20, 2025). "Don't Tell Larry - Film Review". Collider. Retrieved 2025-08-13.