Buffet Infinity review
A work of madness that might also be a work of genius.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Buffet Infinity
Directed by Simon Glassman
Written by Simon Glassman
Starring Kevin Singh, Ahmed Ahmed, Brandon Vanderwall, Claire Theobald, Donovan Workum, Allison Bench and Rylan Nilsson
Buffet Infinity Review
Have you ever fallen in love with a movie that you know is almost impossible to recommend to people? I’m sure most of us have connected with some piece of media that we think others will look at us funny for putting on a pedestal at one point or another. Such is the case with Buffet Infinity. This is a work of madness. It also might be a masterpiece. You also might want to turn it off within five minutes. I don’t think there can be a middle ground with a movie like this. What I am sure of is that critics will praise it. When you watch a lot of movies with a critical eye something as original and different as Buffet Infinity is impossible not to appreciate. But you write your review knowing that a lot of people are going to think you’re insane.
Buffet Infinity is mostly comprised of a series of fake local commercials straight out of the 90s. We flip through them quickly…and that takes up most of the film’s 90 minute or so running time. Putting it like that dismisses much of the genius at work in Buffet Infinity…but it illustrates why casual movie watches will find this experimental film, as successful as it may be, isn’t for them.
All the old staples are represented. A local pawn shop with bad advertisements full of bad rapping. An insurance company to cover everything life throws your way. Abstract religious ads. A law firm headed whose ads feature a poor understanding of editing. And, of course, local restaurants. Namely, the (alleged) Italian restaurant Jenny’s Sandwich Shop and the upstart Buffet Infinity. We also see brief news reports intercut with the flipping…along with mattress ads, commercials for event planning and a slew of other creative ideas.
Of course, if Buffet Infinity was simply showing us 90 minutes of fake local ads…it wouldn’t be as special as it is. Those insurance company commercials follow the wild personal life of its star. The religious ads are clearly recruitment opportunities for a cult. Those news reports alert us to a growing sink hole and the strange ambient hum engulfing the town…not to mention the increasing number of missing person reports. Then there’s the growing war between Jenny’s Sandwich Shop and Buffet Infinity. What begins with light ribbing over location becomes a full blown battle over secret sauces, heritage and, ultimately, culpability in the disappearance of a company owner.
Eventually the ads begin to comment on the increasingly strange situations happening in Westridge County. That makes sense…these are local ads with local townsfolk. Sinkholes, unnatural hums and missing people can affect all kinds of businesses. There’s a cosmic horror story playing out in the background of Buffet Infinity…and it is slowly pushing itself to the forefront. The third act of the movie begins to mess with expectations. It breaks format for moments that feel surreal given the way the story has inundated us with ads for over an hour…even if those ads themselves been growing in oddness. That cosmic horror has been counting down, and Westridge County is running out of time.
Before Buffet Infinity gets to its surprisingly effective conclusion…it delivers a darkly funny and increasingly ominous experience. This is an experimental film that you might find randomly dropped on Adult Swim. I hate to draw comparisons on a piece of work I genuinely consider wholly original and bursting with creativity…but Buffet Infinity feels like something Casper Kelly would drop one day without warning. I mean that as the highest compliment…and given that Kelly’s own work defies comparison…I mean it almost ironically. What writer/director Simon Glassman has created here is a work of genius. It’s also likely to be found impenetrable by a lot of viewers. That’s probably the way it should be.
If you enjoy experimental films…you’re going to love Buffet Infinity. I’d argue there’s a great shot that’s the case if you fancy independent horror as well. Independent horror has become the best place to find truly innovative and boundary pushing work in film these days. Buffet Infinity harnesses what at first glance is a formless experiment and turns it into a boundlessly creative and original work of dark comedy and cosmic horror. It’s a joy to watch…if you any of that appeals to you. If you’re more into traditional storytelling and easily accessible narratives…I don’t even know how to begin to try and sell you on Buffet Infinity. Honestly, that’s one of the best things about it.
Scare Value
It’s not a secret why people who watch a lot of movies crave something fresh and original. Most people don’t consume that many films…and that’s why a lot of what comes out can begin to feel too similar to differential itself. Most people aren’t looking for an experimental cosmic horror dark comedy that plays out over the course of fake local advertisements. It’s possible no one was looking for that. But it’s here, nonetheless. Buffet Infinity is a work of genius. If you can get on its wavelength…it will show you something special. If you can’t…or don’t want to…that’s ok too. There’s no shortage of standard narrative films out there. That’s actually part of what makes Buffet Infinity so special
4.5/5
Buffet Infinity Link
Rent/Buy on VOD from Amazon
