How to Deter a Robber

Last updated
How to Deter a Robber
How to Deter a Robber 2020 Movie Poster.jpg
Directed byMaria Bissell
Written byMaria Bissell
Starring Vanessa Marano
Benjamin Papac
Abbie Cobb
Sonny Valicenti
Gabrielle Carteris
Chris Mulkey
CinematographyStephen Tringali [1]
Release date
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

How to Deter a Robber is a 2020 American crime comedy film written and directed by Maria Bissell and starring Vanessa Marano, Benjamin Papac, Abbie Cobb, Sonny Valicenti, Gabrielle Carteris and Chris Mulkey. [2] It is Bissell's feature directorial debut. [3]

Contents

Cast

Premise

A teenage girl, her boyfriend and her uncle, face off against a pair of burglars.

Plot

While spending Christmas at a lakeside holiday cabin, Madison (Vanessa Marano) bickers with her mother (Gabrielle Carteris). Bored and annoyed, she and her dopey boyfriend Jimmy (Benjamin Papac) spot a light switched on in their neighbours' presumably empty house. They enter it and finding a Ouija board inside, they use it before falling asleep in a drunken and stoned state in one of the bedrooms.

Next morning on waking up, they discover that the place has been ransacked. They telephone the local police who on arrival, do not initially believe the teenager's story but have doubts about their culpability on realising that they were the ones who had dialled 911 in the first place. Thus Madison and Jimmy - as minors - are compelled by the law to stay in the immediate local area pending the conclusion of the police investigation which requires that they are placed in the custody of Madison's uncle Andy (Chris Mulkey).

When Andy's house is also broken into and burglarized, the trio retreat to the family's primary enclave, and fearful of the burglars, Madison and Jimmy set up "Home Alone"-style booby-traps.

The burglars - Patrick (Sonny Valicenti) and Christine (Abbie Cobb) - eventually show up. A hostage situation then materializes causing Madison to fight in partnership with Jimmy.

Production

The film was shot in 17 days. [1]

Release

The film premiered at the Fantastic Fest on September 29, 2020. [1]

Reception

The film has a 73% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. [4] Marisa Maribal of Slash Film gave the film a 7.5 out 10. [3]

Mel Valentin of Screen Anarchy gave the film a positive review and wrote, "How to Deter a Robber will and should be remembered as the work of a talented, first-time filmmaker." [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Columbus (filmmaker)</span> American filmmaker (born 1958)

Chris Joseph Columbus is an American filmmaker. Born in Spangler, Pennsylvania, Columbus studied film at Tisch School of the Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. After writing screenplays for several teen comedies in the mid-1980s, he made his directorial debut with a teen adventure, Adventures in Babysitting (1987). Columbus gained recognition soon after with the highly successful Christmas comedy Home Alone (1990) and its sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).

<i>Taxi</i> (2004 film) 2004 film by Tim Story

Taxi is a 2004 action comedy film directed by Tim Story and starring Queen Latifah, Jimmy Fallon, Gisele Bündchen, Jennifer Esposito, and Ann-Margret. An incompetent New York City police officer is banned from driving and comes to rely on a talented taxi driver to help him solve a series of bank robberies. The film is a remake of the 1998 French film of the same name and was panned by critics.

<i>Monsters Ball</i> 2001 film by Marc Forster

Monster's Ball is a 2001 American romantic drama film directed by Marc Forster, produced by Lee Daniels and written by Milo Addica and Will Rokos, who also appeared in the film. It stars Billy Bob Thornton, Heath Ledger, Halle Berry, and Peter Boyle, with Sean Combs, Mos Def, and Coronji Calhoun in supporting roles.

<i>The Brothers</i> (2001 film) 2001 romantic comedy drama film by Gary Hardwick

The Brothers is a 2001 romantic comedy drama film starring Morris Chestnut, D.L. Hughley, Bill Bellamy, and Shemar Moore. The film was written and directed by Gary Hardwick, who has directed other films and television series such as Deliver Us from Eva and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. Gabrielle Union, Tatyana Ali, Jenifer Lewis, Tamala Jones, and Clifton Powell also star in the film's ensemble cast. Dubbed as the male version of the 1995 film Waiting to Exhale, this film traces the journey of four African-American men as they take on love, sex, friendship, honesty and commitment.

<i>Things to Do in Denver When Youre Dead</i> 1995 film by Gary Fleder

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead is a 1995 American crime film directed by Gary Fleder and written by Scott Rosenberg. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Andy García, Christopher Lloyd, Treat Williams, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Fairuza Balk and Gabrielle Anwar.

<i>The Survivors</i> (1983 film) 1983 film by Michael Ritchie

The Survivors is a 1983 American comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie. It stars Walter Matthau and Robin Williams, with supporting roles by Jerry Reed, Kristen Vigard, and James Wainwright.

<i>Moms Night Out</i> 2014 American film

Moms' Night Out is a 2014 American faith-based comedy film directed by the Erwin Brothers, and written by Jon Erwin and Andrea Gyertson Nasfell. The film stars Sarah Drew, Sean Astin, Patricia Heaton, and Trace Adkins. The film was released on May 9, 2014, in 1,044 theaters. The movie centers on three moms attempting to get away and have a nice night out together and the pandemonium that ensues as everyone's plans go awry. The film was shot in Birmingham, Alabama, and, though it experienced an overall negative reception, grossed $10.5 million.

<i>Almost Human</i> (2013 film) 2013 American film

Almost Human is a 2013 science fiction horror film directed by Joe Begos. His feature film directorial debut, it premiered on September 10, 2013 at the Toronto International Film Festival and stars Graham Skipper as a man whose best friend may or may not be committing a series of horrific murders.

<i>Love the Coopers</i> 2015 American Christmas comedy-drama film by Jessie Nelson

Love the Coopers is a 2015 American Christmas comedy-drama film directed by Jessie Nelson and written by Steven Rogers. The film stars an ensemble cast, including Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Ed Helms, Diane Keaton, Jake Lacy, Anthony Mackie, Amanda Seyfried, June Squibb, Marisa Tomei, Timothée Chalamet, Olivia Wilde and features the voice of Steve Martin, and follows a dysfunctional family who reunites for the holidays.

<i>20th Century Women</i> 2016 film by Mike Mills

20th Century Women is a 2016 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Mills and starring Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, Lucas Jade Zumann, and Billy Crudup. It is set in 1979 in Southern California and partly inspired by Mills's childhood.

<i>Darling</i> (2015 American film) 2015 American film

Darling is a 2015 American psychological horror film written and directed by Mickey Keating. It stars Lauren Ashley Carter as a young woman who slowly goes insane after becoming a caretaker in a large New York City apartment. It also features Sean Young, Brian Morvant, Larry Fessenden, Helen Rogers, and John Speredakos. It premiered at the 2015 Fantastic Fest and released to limited theatres in the United States and VOD in April 2016.

Mindhunter is an American psychological crime thriller television series created by Joe Penhall, which debuted in 2017, based on the 1995 true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker. The executive producers include Penhall, Charlize Theron, and David Fincher, the latter of whom has served as the series' most frequent director and de facto showrunner, overseeing many of the scriptwriting and production processes. The series stars Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv, and it follows the founding of the Behavioral Science Unit in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the late 1970s and the beginning of criminal profiling.

Bad Boys is a series of American buddy cop action comedy films created by George Gallo. It stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as two detectives in the Miami Police Department, Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett. Joe Pantoliano and Theresa Randle also appear in all three films. Michael Bay directed the first two films and Adil & Bilall took over directional duties for the third. Gabrielle Union, who starred in the second installment, later starred alongside Jessica Alba in a spin-off television series, L.A.'s Finest.

<i>Holiday</i> (2018 film) 2018 film

Holiday is a 2018 internationally co-produced drama film directed by Isabella Eklöf and produced by David B. Sørensen. It was screened in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. The film won four Bodil Awards, including Best Danish Film.

<i>Random Acts of Violence</i> (film) 2019 film by Jay Baruchel

Random Acts of Violence is a 2019 slasher film directed and produced by Jay Baruchel. who wrote the screenplay with Jesse Chabot. An adaptation of the 2010 graphic novel, the film follows Todd Walkley, a comic book creator whose works are used as inspiration for a string of real-life murders. Jordana Brewster and Baruchel also star.

<i>Human Capital</i> (2019 film) 2019 film directed by Marc Meyers

Human Capital is a 2019 American-Italian drama film directed by Marc Meyers. The screenplay by Oren Moverman is based on the 2004 Stephen Amidon novel of the same name, which was also adapted into the 2013 Italian film by Paolo Virzì. The film stars Liev Schreiber, Marisa Tomei, Peter Sarsgaard, Maya Hawke, Alex Wolff, Betty Gabriel, Aasif Mandvi, Paul Sparks and Fred Hechinger.

<i>The Price of Desire</i> 2015 Belgian film

The Price of Desire is a 2015 Belgian-Irish biographical drama film directed by Mary McGuckian.

<i>VFW</i> (film) 2019 American horror film

VFW is a 2019 American action horror film directed by Joe Begos and starring Stephen Lang, William Sadler, Martin Kove and Fred Williamson. The film premiered at the 2019 Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, and released to theaters, VOD, and Digital HD on February 14, 2020.

<i>Cobra Kai</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of Cobra Kai was released on YouTube Red on May 2, 2018 and consisted of 10 episodes. The series is a direct sequel to the original four films in The Karate Kid franchise, focusing on the characters of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence over 30 years after the original film.

<i>Iké Boys</i> 2021 American film

Iké Boys is a 2021 American mixed media fantasy film directed by Eric McEver and starring Quinn Lord, Ronak Gandhi, and Christina Higa as three teenagers who acquire superpowers from a magical anime film. Billy Zane, Yumiko Shaku, and Ben Browder are featured in supporting roles.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Valentin, Mel (30 September 2020). "Fantastic Fest 2020 Review: HOW TO DETER A ROBBER, Smart Holiday Crime Comedy". Screen Anarchy. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  2. Miska, Brad (24 September 2020). "'How to Deter a Robber' Clip: Robbers Sleep Through a Robbery [Video]". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  3. 1 2 Mirabal, Marisa (7 October 2020). "'How to Deter a Robber' Review: Mirth and Mischief Join Forces in This Holiday Home Invasion Thriller [Fantastic Fest 2020]". Slash Film. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  4. "How to Deter a Robber". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango. Archived from the original on 2021-08-13. Retrieved 30 October 2021.