BUFFALOED: Swindles Its Way To A Mostly Good Time
A girl’s gotta get paid.
Buffaloed, Tanya Wexler’s newest, is full of drama and plenty of cons, but it’s also fundamentally funny. This is in big part to the main character, Peg Dahl, in a stand-out performance by Zoey Deutch as we follow her exploits on her trip to success (and failure).
“Haven’t You Ever Dreamed Of Something More?”
The film’s opening has us rewinding a bit, showing Deutch initially enraged, swearing and rushing down the street, gun in hand. She isn’t fooling around, and her toughness, sometimes- over confidence, is what makes her an intriguing sort of antihero. With some narration and even some fourth-wall breaking camera talking at the end, we get a sense of who Peg is. Her wide smile and high voice are just a front for an intelligent (at times ruthless) hustler.
After their father passes, her mother, Kathy (Judy Greer) is left to support two children and she’s struggling. Buffaloed does an admirable job of keeping to the true fight that initiates Peg’s ambitions, along with her late father being a hustler himself and that obvious influence, while still finding moments for humor intersected throughout. There’s a specific tone that’s kept throughout the film, in the families highs and lows; a quirkiness that’s inviting.
Deutch is the star. She has shown before that she’s quite talented, but here she commands the screen. This is her story, her hustle to run on the audience, and she does so with admirable wit and snark. There’s something to be said about a powerful woman on screen, one driven and resourceful, even if she uses her manipulation and intelligence for illegal means. Peg is feisty, zany, and relentless, starting young- selling cigarettes and fake Bill’s tickets, but -as so many do in stories such as these- it isn’t enough and she wants more.
When she’s arrested and ends up in tremendous debt, her sights become focused, in a turn of fate, on debt collecting, realizing there’s money to be made. Peg has a gift, and she’s able to talk anyone into pretty much anything. Why not turn her focus here?
Even with the well-written, though occasionally predictable, script by Brian Sacca, the movie works because of the performances. Greer, who has proven to always be counted on in any role, is wonderful, and the tenuous relationship with Deutch is especially compelling.
The bond with her brother, Noah Reid, and love interest/assistant district attorney Graham (Jermaine Fowler), who has several unexpected and hilarious run-ins’ with Peg, are also key. Peg proves she can be a one-woman, intelligent, money machine, but should she be?
“Stop Trying Not To Be Poor, And Start Trying to Be Rich.”
Wizz (Jai Courtney) has a business in town, and he isn’t exactly doing things by the book. She quickly rises as a formidable foe in the game, and eventually decides to make her own company, with a group she assembles herself. Very The Wolf of Wallstreet-esque without the wall-street, and a bit of Ocean’s Eleven. It’s easy to understand where her motivations come from, and despite some of her poorer decisions, you want to believe she’s trying to do things “legit” and that it will stay that way. Does it ever? Things begin to snowball for Peg, and trouble, as you expect, is guaranteed to follow. A sort of war starts between Wizz and her, but she persists, all while consistently ignoring warnings from Graham that things may get out of her control.
Her persistence is matched well with Wexler’s direction, fast-paced and unrelenting. The film doesn’t miss any beats, and it works to its advantage. The movie makes a point of declaring that this is Buffalo, NY. I loved the choice of location, and it’s full of Buffalo references (the battle of the best wings, the Bills), sticking it in a way that breathes into the movie. There are a lot of moments throughout the film that feel like others we’ve seen before, but it still manages to culminate into something with its own voice and unapologetic face.
Conclusion: Buffaloed
The story isn’t particularly revelatory, but the idiosyncratic humor and Zoey Deutch make it a fun film. Does she learn her lessons or merely just adapt? Peg may not be perfect, but she’s a colorful, loud, brass, character that’s hard to forget.
What did you think? Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below!
Buffaloed will be released in theaters and VOD on February 14th
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