On what appears to be just an average evening, a grinning pizza delivery man (David Harper, “The Clean Bones Gone”) walks through an alleyway carrying a pizza box, heading towards his next address. He’s dressed in a red polo shirt and a red visor, and we quickly discover he’s carrying a plastic bag — a bag full of human heads.
And so begins Chop Chop, a film that follows this pizza delivery man to his next delivery — the home of Chuck (Jake Taylor, “The Case of Jonas Booker”) and Olivia Matthews (Atala Arce, “Sanador: The Healer”), a young couple who are preparing to enjoy a quiet evening together. Chuck has made a lovely candlelit dinner for Olivia, and the surprise sparks some intimate romance between them. Later, after dinner, Chuck excuses himself to the bathroom, and Olivia hears a knock at their door. It’s Teddy, the pizza delivery man, who tells Olivia, “It’s for you,” despite Olivia’s protests that they haven’t ordered any pizza. Unnervingly, Teddy refuses to leave, and Olivia finds herself facing an advancing intruder in her home. Luckily, Chuck comes to her rescue, but the ensuing moments place Olivia and Chuck into a situation they definitely hadn’t planned for that quiet evening.
Written by Rony Patel and Andrew Ericksen, while produced and directed (and edited and production designed) by Patel, Chop Chop is far more than your average, “Oh, what kind of trouble will our protagonists find themselves in next?,” kind of movie. Each scenario presented is more bizarre than the last, and the discomfort of each situation pushes the boundaries from horror (obviously) and action-thriller into dry comedy in the best of ways. Working together to try and find a way out of things, Chuck and Olivia maintain a kind of go-with-the-flow attitude that overcomes any anxiety or exhaustion most average folks in a similar circumstance would quickly succumb to. Their ability to suspend disbelief at the cast of characters they encounter is award-worthy, and serves as the crux of the entertainment for this crazy film.
The players they encounter include, Jeremy Jordan (“Doug”) as Detective Minaya, a cop who receives a 187 call on his radio and begins a search for a red pizza delivery car; Mike Thompson (“Court of Appeals”) as the bathrobe-clad Jerry, that nosy older neighbor who always knocks on your door at just the wrong moment, and Mikael Mattsson (“Scariest Night of Your Life”), stealing the show as Clark, another man in a bathrobe whose days are spent doing who-knows-what . . . we probably don’t want to know, come to think of it.
Scored with some fantastic campy 70s cop TV show styled music, Chop Chop is a ride full of awkward silences, dry hilarity, and what-the-heck just happened scenes that are a riot to watch. It’s hard to pin down what kind of movie this really is, so suffice it to say, it’s simply a fun (and funny!) romp that’s sure to be a great addition to your next simple, quiet evening of pizza and a movie at the house.
