September 29 & 30 | Sunday & Monday | 1 hour, 38 minutes | Rated Unrated |
Set during the 1918 Influenza pandemic, this film tells the story of a grifter (Peter Saarsgard) hired on as a chef at the seaside refuge of a wealthy, muckraking newspaperman (Billy Magnussen). As stores get low and tensions get high, with the pandemic whirling around them, the chef leads an uprising within the house staff and takes over the estate. It’s a sharp satire, a black comedy of class warfare, with fantastic, tensely hilarious performances from its leads.
“Anchored by its leads, “Coup!” is a tasty morsel of social commentary about problems that continue to plague our world.” -Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service
“A dark comedy about class warfare, government overreach and infectious disease. It’s a lot more fun than that sounds.” -Billy Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic
“It’s very cleverly plotted. It’s also very predictable, and mostly really sticking it to the bourgeoisie, which in my my mind is always a fine thing to do.” -Andy Klein, FilmWeek (KPCC, NPR Los Angeles)
“This clever period satire is slightly underseasoned yet deliciously offbeat.” -Todd Jorgenson, Cinemalogue
“Fleet and frisky at just 97 minutes, tidily but not ostentatiously crafted, and in thrall to the pleasurably low-stakes sport of watching one scoundrel outwit another.” -Guy Lodge, Variety
“This is a delightful little black comedy of elitism, privilege, the games people play to convince themselves that they aren’t better than others, and how easy it is to tear away that fabric of civility.” -Neelie Swanson, Easy Reader
“Not so subtlety infused with entertaining class warfare and an eat-the-rich angle set during a pandemic mirroring the most recent crisis, the performances crackle and the filmmakers keep the brewing rivalry darkly comedic” -Robert Kojder, Flickering Myth
“Dark, twisted, wry, hilarity punctuated with touches of whimsy, delivering socio-political commentary on every level.” -Debbie Lynn Elias, Behind the Lens
“This satirical work is hardly profound or subtle about the parallels with the present-day class conflict, but it wears its screw-the-rich subtext with insouciant breeziness.” -Leslie Felperin, Hollywood Reporter
Coup! opens at The Clyde on Sunday, September 29, and plays Sunday and Monday at 7:30.
