The kind of monster he might be is not made expressly clear — he awaits full moons like a werewolf but sleeps in a coffin like a vampire. But he eats humans and afterwards becomes a kind of bloated, rubbery-costumed oaf like Mike Myers’ Fat Bastard in “Austin Powers.”
Limperis’ character Violet has to take care of all this in a manner we all understand as a “familiar” from one of TV’s best current comedies “What We Do in the Shadows.” The complication in Becker’s script comes when a comic that Violet rather likes is also admired by Bob as a future entrée. Is it time to put a stop to Devore’s monstrous appetite to save potential relationship, not to mention break out of this murderous cycle?
“Too Late” is engaging largely due to Limperis’ performance. She’s made her name online doing a variety of hilarious characters on YouTube from her mom to AOC. Here, in contrast to her video comic explosions, she excels in holding back, playing a smart, sweet and sympathetic young woman in a business where everyone tends to be a jerk.
Lynch plays his part broadly, to say the least — and it must be odd for him playing someone’s extreme interpretation of his role on “Tomorrow!” But once he’s in the fat monster suit, it’s almost impossible to detect him in there.
Because of the shoestring budget — it was filmed under SAG’s Ultra Low Budget Project for less than $300,000 — the specific gore and horror scenes are off camera. But director Thomas cut her teeth editing under Roger Corman alums Alan Holzman and Carl Colpaert, so the rhythms of the B-film horror help keep the film perking along — and succinct at a brisk 80 minutes. (Editing of the fleeting comic bits are a bit more problematic, though — we hardly hear any of the punchlines).
Posters for “Too Late” feature two of the film’s biggest names, who are also in some of the smallest parts. Mary Lynn Rajskub from “24” plays just the kind of recognized figures in alt comedy that she is in real life. “Portlandia” star Fred Armisen pops up as a morose theater light and sound guy.
The narrative is dependent on neither of them, but like a lot of bills for late night variety in L.A., just including their names lends a bit of credibility to a production mostly featuring lesser knowns. Of them, Will Whedon makes for a charming enough potential love interest from the Midwest.
While “Too Late” may not forge a full-blown new genre hybrid, it’s an amusing enough first feature that ought to help secure continued success for Limperis at the very least.
“Too Late” will be released in select theaters and on iTunes, Google Play and all major cable platforms June 25.