Two high school nobodies make the decision to crash the last major celebration before the new millennium on New Year’s Eve 1999. The night becomes even crazier than they could have ever dreamed when the clock strikes midnight.
While it is a joke now, in 1999, Y2K was a big deal. With the looming threat of computer malfunctions, the world panicked. I can remember sitting in the kitchen anxiously awaiting the clock to strike midnight on New Year’s Eve, worrying what disastrous terrors would befall us in the new year… (To be fair, I was in middle school and a rabid horror junkie. It wasn’t hard to imagine the worst). Thankfully, nothing of note happened. First-time director Kyle Mooney, who co-wrote the script with Evan Winter, asks the hypothetical question, what-if-it-did with his debut feature, “Y2K.”
Beginning with a sequence that reminds us just how far computers and the internet have come in the last 25 years, “Y2K” attempts to root audiences into the late ‘90s. If you’re looking for a blast of nostalgia, Mooney throws as much ‘90s slang, fashion, toys, etc., at you as he can within the film’s opening minutes as high schoolers Eli (Jaeden Martell) and Danny (Julian Dennison) plan their New Year’s Eve. Eli’s mother is played by none other than ‘90s star Alicia Silverstone. If you’re a fan hoping to catch her in a good role, keep looking. She’s wasted in this movie.
Eli and Danny are social outcasts at their school, as are most of the main characters in this sort of film. They plan on a quiet evening at home, renting a movie and eating junk food while waiting for the ball to drop. In an early scene in a convenience store, Eli pines over (and awkwardly attempts to talk to) popular girl, Laura (Rachel Zegler), while she and her friends steal alcohol for their New Year’s party. The scene introduces Zegler’s character and informs the leads of the night’s big party, which Eli and Danny decide to crash as they are watching their rented film.
Things don’t go well at the party, and they get considerably worse before the night is over. The clock strikes midnight, and all the electronics in the house go berserk. (I should mention Mooney is most known for being a cast member of “Saturday Night Live,” and “Y2K” is marketed as a comedy). At this point, “Y2K” turns into something of a splatter flick, with the electronics coming to life and slaughtering the kids at the party.
Splatter flicks have a history of being effective comedies — see “Evil Dead II” or “Dead Alive” — that blend gross-out special effects with slapstick humor. The effects and mayhem here are tame; although some of the creature designs are cool, the comedy is non-existent throughout the film. I’d be lying if I said I cracked even the slightest smirk at any of the jokes in this movie. In fact, the movie works best when it isn’t trying to be funny. There are some good character interactions scattered throughout.
Ultimately, this movie felt like it was trying too hard while not pushing the limits enough. The character arcs are typical, the characters unlikable, and the journey and its conclusion rote. This movie was a struggle to get through despite its brief 90-minute runtime. Some of the audience seemed to really engage with the movie; there were continuous bouts of laughter. There’s an audience for this material out there somewhere. I wasn’t it. My advice is to wait for “Y2K” to hit a streaming service or go to the theater on a bargain day or night.
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