PLOT: With his marriage on the rocks, Kevin (Jason Biggs) whisks his wife Suzie (Meaghan Rath) away on a romantic getaway with a wildly misguided plan: fake a break-in and play the hero. But when things spiral, and someone turns up dead, Kevin finds himself at the center of a murder investigation, with lies piling up faster than the alibis.
REVIEW: Whenever an actor goes behind the camera, it can be to mixed results. Some flourish while others flounder, and it really seems to be a toss-up. I’m happy to say that longtime comedic actor Jason Biggs does a great job in the director’s chair and gives Untitled Home Invasion Romance a very unique voice. And don’t worry, the name makes sense once you’ve seen the movie.
The film follows Kevin and his wife, Suzie, as they head out on a weekend getaway to try to save their marriage. Kevin has the bright idea of staging a break-in in order to play hero and prove himself to his wife, but things don’t go to plan. To say the least. There’s plenty of murder and chaos, and it always keeps the viewer on its toes. In fact, I was actually quite impressed with how dark the film got, but never became unpalatable. Jason Biggs‘ Kevin is a complete loser, harkening back to his days as Jim in American Pie. I suppose someone who comes up with a plan like this would have to be. But it works for the story and helps subvert certain expectations.
I was most impressed with Meaghan Rath as Suzie, the wife who takes matters into her own hands. There were so many times where I thought I understood what she was up to, only to be thrown off the trail the next moment. And, despite not having a ton of screentime, Arturo Castro steals every scene that he’s in. He manages to bring most of the film’s laughs and, if anything, I wish he could have been used more. Anna Konkle and Justin H. Min both show up in supporting roles and add more layers to what’s really going on.
One of my favorite aspects of Untitled Home Invasion Romance is how it plays with your expectations. A lot of that has to do with Jason Biggs in the lead, following his usual cadences. So when the film turns that on its head, it feels fresh and unexpected. I’m obviously going to avoid spoiling where the film ends up, but it really worked for me. It probably helps that these dark comedies are right up my alley.
Despite this being Biggs first film in the director’s chair, you wouldn’t know it by how well balanced the story is presented. The shifting tones work well and he always does a good job of showing us what we need to see, while keeping other elements just offscreen. The circumstances are heightened but it never feels too over the top. There are multiple switches that are very satisfying and play off of what the audience expects from a Jason Biggs-style character.
I wasn’t sure what to make of Untitled Home Invasion Romance at first, but I really enjoyed where the story ended up going. It’s dark yet still humorous and has a very satisfying conclusion. As much as I love the name, I do think that it will hinder the film a bit, as it is a mouthful and it doesn’t immediately stand out. If anything, it feels like someone made a mistake and forgot to take out the placeholder title. But if you’re willing to take the chance, this is a darkly fun ride that shows Biggs has a lot of potential as a director.
Untitled Home Invasion Romance is out digitally on January 27th, 2026.
