Two men’s babymoon is another family’s dinner party massacre. In the mixed-up horror comedy “I Don’t Understand You,” two Americans wreak utter chaos abroad but learn something about themselves and their relationship in the process.
In the middle of a drawn-out adoption struggle—a journey that has already seen its share of emotions, heartbreak, and betrayal—Dom (Nick Kroll) and Cole (Andrew Rannells) decide to celebrate their anniversary in Italy as one last trip before they (hopefully) become parents. At long last, the good news arrives, and the two men are about to become fathers thanks to an expectant mother (Amanda Seyfried) hoping to make their adoption dreams come true. But before the couple’s plane even lands, trouble is already following close, upending their plans and reservations thanks to an old family friend who sends the two into the countryside for a taste of real rustic cooking by an elderly chef. Between language barriers, getting the car stuck on a dirt road, and accidentally killing someone, Dom and Cole are having a terrible run of luck, one that’s calling into question the foundation of their relationship.
Co-written and co-directed by Brian Crano and David Joseph Craig, “I Don’t Understand You” is a silly comedy about heartfelt fears. Whether it’s the terror of becoming a parent, the anxiety over sticking with the wrong partner, or the uncertainty of traveling where you don’t speak the language, together, Dom and Cole must figure out how to work through these problems. At first, things do not look promising. On the flight, blood drips on Cole as if marking him for future mischief. “It’s a bad omen, I smell like blood,” he worries later while touring Rome. It’s apparent some fears and feelings have been kept from one another, and the rifts between them are starting to show. During their nightmarish trip, they must decide if a life together is really what they want. Of course, it all gets a bit ridiculous when the Americans’ bumbling causes the bodies to pile up. The film morphs into a blood-drenched slapstick, complete with bone-crunching antics and miscommunication induced by language barriers.
Basing some of the story’s more tender moments on their own experience adopting a child, Craig and Crano add surprise twists to the narrative with these over-the-top, deadly sequences, and while that variation of tones does not always feel smooth, it’s the two lead actors who salvage the piece from feeling too stale. Both Kroll and Rannells can share tender scenes, get on each of their characters’ nerves—sometimes too much so—but they’re used to leaning into a bit beyond rationality. The actors seem to relish the opportunity to misbehave and annoy each other. Rannells, who sold earnestness with a capital “E” as one of the Mormon missionaries in “The Book of Mormon,” is almost reserved in a cranky way here. When the couple’s car gets stuck in the mud, Cole sulks in the car while Dom tries to find a solution in the pouring rain, getting drenched in mud when standing behind one of the spinning tires.
With “I Don’t Understand You,” there is a need to laugh at the real-life absurdities, the painful, years-long adoption saga that left them scammed once before, one of them wondering if they should indeed try again or if they’re even fit to be parents. “How are we supposed to raise a child if we can’t even make it to a restaurant?” Cole asks Dom sharply. The answer here is that no one is quite certain of parenting until they experience it firsthand.
Although charming, the slight “I Don’t Understand You” struggles to sustain its spark. It’s a series of silly events that get progressively ridiculous and bloodier. As far as romantic Italian holidays go, from “Only You” to “Roman Holiday,” “I Don’t Understand You” will likely not be one of the more memorable titles.
