"Splitsville" Red Band Trailer: Kyle Marvin, Dakota Johnson, and Michael Angelo Covino Tangle with an Open Marriage in New Cringe-induced Relationship Comedy with Adria Arjona
Filmmakers and comic duo Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin reunite after The Climb for a sharp-edged romantic farce about divorce, emotional rebound, and a very messy love triangle.
Look, if you haven’t heard of Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin, that wouldn’t surprise us—they’ve only made one film together prior to this new one. So, we imagine it might raise a few eyebrows to see these two schlubs sharing the screen with the likes of Dakota Johnson and Andor star Adria Arjona, let alone playing their significant others. Clearly, there are plenty of rewards that come with calling the shots—and getting the final say on who you cast in your film.
But if we can take a moment to recommend Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin’s previous comedy The Climb—please do yourself the favor and seek it out. The film earned a lot of praise at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, but when it was finally released in 2020 (pandemic and all), it mostly flew under the radar. Still, we found it to be quite the indie gem, featuring a distinctive comedic voice and tone.
Based on Covino and Marvin's short film of the same name, The Climb takes a hilariously awkward look at a toxic friendship between two childhood best friends (played by Covino and Marvin), where, while biking together on a steep uphill climb, one casually confesses to sleeping with the other’s fiancée. The comedy, told in seven chapters and through long continuous shots, dives into the messy, often absurd repercussions of that revelation. One could say the film marked the arrival of a fresh new comedic voice—one that wasn’t afraid to blend emotional discomfort with physical absurdity, all grounded in the core of human insecurity and shameless stupidity. Suffice to say, we thought The Climb was a very funny film.
And we imagine that’s part of the reason why the cast of Covino and Marvin’s new film, Splitsville, comes with some serious star power—despite... well, how can we put this... hmm... well, frankly, they cast two of the most beautiful actresses working right now to be their respective wives. But in a strange way, we admired their moxie. Hey, hate the game, not the playas.
In Splitsville, Marvin stars as Carey, a lovable sad sack blindsided by a surprise divorce from his wife Ashley (Adria Arjona). Desperate for comfort, he seeks refuge with his married best pals Julie (Dakota Johnson) and Paul (Covino), only to discover their secret to happiness is a wide-open marriage policy. But when Carey and Julie take that openness for a spin, Paul slams on the brakes, triggering a full-blown emotional pileup. What starts as a love triangle quickly swerves into a rom-com car crash of boundary issues, modern romance, and marital mayhem.
Both Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin wrote the script, while Covino solely took on the directing duties. They also serve as producers, working alongside Dakota Johnson, under her production company TeaTime Pictures, and producer Emily Korteweg (The Climb).
The cast also includes Succession's Nicholas Braun, Black Widow's O-T Fagbenle, and The Umbrella Academy's David Castañeda.
Splitsville had its world premiere a couple of months ago at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it was met with mostly positive reviews. Now acquired by Neon Films, Splitsville will be opening in select theaters on August 22nd, followed by a nationwide release on September 5th.