There have been plenty of movies that I reviewed on this website which felt like a waste of time to watch. And sometimes, those are the most fun to review! But it’s nice, every so often, to include one I’m absolutely stoked about. Especially when it’s a surprisingly good movie like It’s What’s Inside, the type of movie gem you don’t find all that often.

Well, I’ve got another gem for you today. This time, it’s called Frank & Penelope and it’s a wild amount of fun.

Now, honestly, I started watching this without realizing it was a thriller, even a borderline slasher flick. The movie looked like a good time. The main couple are absolutely magnetic. I had never seen Caylee Cowan or Billy Budinich in any other movie, but they blew me away.

So if you want something that’s like Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets Bonnie & Clyde, sticking almost aggressively to that combination, this movie is perfect for you. And even if you just want to see hot people in a standoff with a cult leader along a stretch of endless desert road, this might be for you, too.

Yeah, this movie is wild. It reminded me of The Crazies but turned up a few notches. I was hooked from the get-go.

Good

The movie starts off with Billy Budinich, and so will this review. In the main role, he’s charming, magnetic, but with an undercurrent of fierce anger running through him. His partner in crime, the gorgeous Caylee Cowan, is all over the place. These two are sometimes lovebirds, other times getting into fights, and of course fighting for their lives. But both actos give A+ performances.

I was shocked by the quality of dialogue in this movie. It’s a little cheesy at times, but mostly, it’s top-notch. Billy Budinich, in particular, delivers every line perfectly. His character is flawed and interesting and layered. This isn’t your standard hot couple in a horror movie. There’s so much more going on. I loved every bit.

This Bonnie and Clyde homage starts off fun and a little mysterious. Quickly, it becomes unhinged. Where this movie really thrives is the middle, something most films can’t say. Throw in a second storyline, a young woman help captive and in distress, and it has more than enough to carry it to the bizarre, fitting ending.

Of course, there are villains, and this is where the Texas Chainsaw Massacre overlap begins. While nobody is as gruesome or memorable as Leatherface, there’s a cast of bad guys reminiscent of the Texas Chainsaw secondary villains, starting with a greasy, gross tow-truck driver, leading all the way to a strange and straight-up-weird cult figure. It’s hard to say which villain is the best. They all serve very different roles in the movie. I really appreciated how none of the characters were remotely the same. Each one has an entirely different background, delivery, and honestly, they’re better than any of the bad guys in Texas Chainsaw Massacre because of that diversity.

Bad

My main negative from this movie was actually the middle, as well. I ended up finishing it during a second sitting, not all at once. I wanted to note that because the middle does get repetitive. There’s a lot of waiting and watching as mysterious, sinister plots play out. But I came back the next day to watch the ending, and I loved it even more, so maybe try that if you do get a little bored, too.

Like I said, the movie is fun all the way through. It borders on sexy, although there’s nothing explicit, and it gets close to a slasher, although it never gets overly gory. If you want a movie with extremes, this won’t do it for you. But if you want a well-acted film that stays right in the middle, mixing genres, this is perfect.

Unfortunately, I do have to talk about the ending. I really liked the actual ending: The standoff on a long, desert road with nobody in sight. It felt fitting and justifiably weird. (The cult leader has some type of superhuman powers, just another bizarre layer added on to this strange movie.) However, afterward, there’s a ridiculous tease at a sequel. Please, please, do not make a sequel. This movie is wonderful on its own. It would be hard to capture this magic again.

Overall

This is another 2022 gem I somehow missed out on. (I seem to be watching a lot of 2022 movies this month. More coming soon!) While it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it was the perfect mixture of suspense, sexiness, good acting, and action to make it a memorable watch (and probably a re-watch, soon.)

I’m giving it 8.5/10.