Don’t Trip
★★★
Alex Kugelman’s Don’t Trip is an impressive and unhinged feature film debut that walks a fine line between dark comedy and psychological thriller, and somehow makes that balance work beautifully.
The story follows Dev (Matthew Sato), a down-on-his-luck aspiring screenwriter who’s just been dropped by his management team. Desperate to get his big break, he sets his sights on befriending a powerful Hollywood producer. The problem? He can’t exactly get to the producer. Instead, Dev cozies up to the man’s estranged son, Tripp (Will Sennett), a human roller coaster of chaos and charm.
From there, things spiral in all the best ways. Their unlikely friendship starts off awkwardly endearing but quickly turns unpredictable, manipulative and completely riveting. Think The King of Comedy, with a little Swingers energy for good measure.
What really shines here is Kugelman’s sharp comedic writing. There’s real bite to the Hollywood satire, poking fun at the desperation, ego and moral gymnastics people perform in pursuit of “making it.” Yet amid all that, Don’t Trip still manages to feel human. Maybe because Dev’s naïveté and determination ring painfully true for anyone who’s ever chased a dream.
Sato is fantastic as Dev, bringing an innocence that grounds the film’s madness. But it’s Sennett who completely steals the show. His performance as Tripp is electric, a walking red flag you can’t look away from. He’s unpredictable, hilarious and a little terrifying, often in the same breath. Everyone knows a Tripp: that friend who makes you nervous just by being around them, but that you painfully admire because they dare to do and say the things that you never would.
There are moments where the plot veers into wild territory, but the tonal mix keeps it from ever feeling too far-fetched. It’s absurd, yes, but also oddly relatable. In a way, Don’t Trip plays like a campfire story for every struggling creative who’s ever moved to L.A. to “make it.”
Ultimately, this movie is as much about ambition as it is about friendship, and the blurry, often toxic space where those two collide. Kugelman’s feature film debut proves he’s a filmmaker worth watching, and Don’t Trip is a wild, witty reminder that sometimes the scariest monsters in Hollywood aren’t the ones on screen.
Don’t Trip premieres only on Tubi beginning Nov. 7.
