‘Good Mourning’ review: it’s Machine Gun Kelly’s Excellent Adventure

NME

The premise for Good Mourning is silly: and writers/directors Colson Baker (AKA Machine Gun Kelly) and Mod Sun know it. The star-studded cast, which includes Megan Fox, Dove Cameron and Pete Davidson, know it as well. But that self-awareness makes it all the more hilarious.

This stoner comedy sees London Clash (Baker) wake up following the divisive season finale of Good, Bad People, the TV show he stars in, to what looks like a break-up text from his girlfriend Apple (Becky G). Of course, his phone is soon damaged – thanks to a water balloon courtesy of rapper Trippie Redd (playing himself) – right before a meeting with the director of the new Batman film, who wants to speak to Clash about becoming the caped crusader.

“Do you want to be in love, or do you want to be the biggest star in the fucking world? You can’t have both,” explains his no-nonsense agent Maxine (Whitney Cummings), setting up the struggle. See, we told you it was silly.

What follows next is a series of unfortunate, surreal events as things just spiral out of control for Clash and his gang of friends: Mod Sun’s Dylan, who’s convinced that Avril Lavigne wrote ‘Sk8er Boi’ about him, accident-prone Leo (GaTa) and the intense Angel (Zach Villa). At one point Snoop Dogg voices a talking spliff, while Danny Trejo plays a version of himself method-acting as a caveman for reasons that aren’t really explained. It’s all very Dude, Where’s My Car?, Superbad or Bill & Ted.

While the lads tumble from one disaster to another, Clash’s recently hired assistant Olive (Cameron) plays the straight man with a wonderful sense of detachment, while Fox’s Kennedy acts as their reluctant saviour time and time again (“you’re 30, it’s time to grow up,” she tells Clash at one point). They, alongside Maxine, ground the shenanigans in the film, but also aren’t afraid to indulge in a little comedic ridiculousness either.

There are no cheesy lessons to be learnt despite the set-up, nor is this a vessel for Baker to win over the numerous people that seem to have a problem with him, his acting or his music. “Was there a flash sale at Hot Topic?” he’s asked by Maggie the waitress (Brittany Furlan) at one point about his outfit, while there are countless dick jokes where he comes off worse.

Despite its soundtrack, which wouldn’t sound out of place on an updated version of American Pie (lots of Machine Gun Kelly alongside tracks from Young Thug and Blink-182), Good Mourning is a world away from Baker and Mod Sun’s last collaboration, the 2021 pop-punk musical Downfalls High. Sure, there’s a touch of melodrama in both – Baker can’t seem to write anything without his heart on his sleeve. But while Downfalls High intended to inspire, Good Mourning is content with providing sheer, silly entertainment, filling the comedy void left by the likes of Seth Rogan and Jonah Hill perfectly.

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