
SYNOPSIS:
A young girl living with her parents in a small town takes on the responsibility of solving a recent crime. She is dealing with an ex-boyfriend and activities of adulthood.
If Nancy Drew had a severe case of millennial narcissism and was still living with her folks, she would be the dumb blonde investigating the case of Drugstore June. And, yes, you might think this is not a character worth being 90 minutes invested in but fear not, co-writer director Nicholaus Goossen (best known perhaps for the worst movie ever made in the US, Grandma’s Boy) and screenwriter and one of the stars of the movie Esther Povitsky (a comedian and a podcaster too) have other ideas. A story about maturity is what they seem to present as the aim of the story. Although it may not be the case for most audiences, the first 30 minutes or so appear to be composed in such a manner that the viewer sees June as obnoxious thanks to her audience, coincidentally, self-centered, lethargic, and excessively easily hurt.
For most of the film, it can be reasonably assumed that audiences will root for the well-intentioned but exasperated gambling dad (James Remar), who berates his daughter for eating gluten, for being fixated on her ex-boyfriend (Haley Joel Osment) who is married to someone else, and for being so lazy that when she is not working at the local pharmacy doing an uninspiring job, she is busy doing live streams to her fans. One cannot overlook how June’s mother, Beverly D’Angelo, also manages to be the more loving and encouraging figure but has no qualms in wading into the sea of admirers who are always waiting to shower her with praise after she pops into the streams of some of her daughter’s admirers. Of course, there is her younger brother, a teenage PC gamer known as Brandon Wardell, who may actually in fact be living a more productive life than June.
Esther Povitsky seems too good in this role specifically composed for her as she appears abrasive and annoying but the script does, for the majority of the time, appear to have purposefully developed the character solely for jibes from the other characters as well as for the audience in a very negative manner. The character is definitely annoying and frustrating but it does not mean there is fun in watching other characters mock her and highlighting her obnoxious traits.
Everything takes on a different significance as June gropes in the dark able to spine the mystery when a pharmacy, where she works together with her manager Bill (Bobby Lee) is robbed at night. She has never had anything to do in her life and that is why it is a bold move on her part to search for the robber more like a detective. June also maintains a cordial relationship with her boss Bill even when he clearly states her shortcomings, which include her inability to work convincingly and behaving somewhat rudely with customers. At the same time, Bill can not help but admire June’s ability to consistently show up to work.
This mess takes June’s investigations into several possible suspects many of whom should not have been singled out in the first place, but she did this to further rationalize her interest in the lives of those surroundings. June ends up interviewing her family, a gambling house where her father invariably goes, a weed shop that has had its fair share of night robberies, and a physician (Bill Burr) whom she combines with telling her off about her way of living. At the same time, the police are led by the hunch that perhaps the burglary was set up by Bill so that he be compensated by insurance.
When the humor doesn’t seem to be directed at June, having her rant about ‘the hot and ready’ phrase illustrates moments when she is in fact funny. For the most part, the jokes are still flat, and one only cares about the mystery element, but once in a while, Junie manages to say something that is uniquely awkward in a cute way. Here is a unique cast that is not big names but rather interesting some that combine for a unique result.
Drugstore June is unlikable for the better part of the film and resorts to low-hanging fruit, which is jesting about this character rather than shedding any light on her or any millennial culture. Still, it will be pleasing to see her get creative and solve another mystery.
For More Movies Like – Drugstore June (2024) – visit on 123Movies