Film Review - Splitsville (2026)
- Alex Kelaru
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
This is a film full of insufferable people making insufferable decisions. The real question is whether that makes it a bad film. Surprisingly, it does not.
Splitsville centres on two long-time friends, Carey, a Physical Education teacher, and Paul, a highly successful real estate agent. Carey and his new wife Ashley head out for a weekend away at Paul’s house, but on the way, they are involved in a car accident. That moment triggers something in Ashley, who begins to reassess her life and ultimately asks Carey for a divorce.
Carey’s response is as irrational as it is telling. He quite literally runs away, stepping out of the car and sprinting off as if avoiding the situation might somehow make it disappear. His journey eventually leads him to Paul’s house, where things appear far more stable.
Paul and his wife Julie seem to have built a perfect life together, but the foundation of that relationship is, seemingly, an open marriage. It is presented as something that works for them, at least on the surface. Naturally, that dynamic becomes the catalyst for everything that follows.
Carey ends up sleeping with Julie and once Paul discovers the betrayal, everything begins to unravel. From that point on, the film leans fully into its chaotic premise. Carey adopts the same open relationship approach with Ashley, continuing to live together while she brings different partners home, only to discard them weeks later. At the same time, Paul’s own life collapses after he risks and loses the family’s fortune, leading Julie to push him out.
What makes Splitsville interesting is that it offers very few characters that are easy to support. They are arrogant, emotionally weak and constantly chasing things they do not need, while ignoring what is right in front of them. In many ways, they are deliberately frustrating to watch.
However, that is also where the film succeeds.
The writing is sharp and confident, turning what could have been a bleak exploration of divorce and modern relationships into a cynical rom-com that balances humour with uncomfortable honesty. There are moments of near slapstick comedy, but they never feel disconnected from the emotional core of the story.
At times, the situations escalate in a way that feels almost inevitable, as if the characters are caught in a chain reaction of their own decisions. It does not feel forced. Instead, it mirrors the kind of messy, self-inflicted chaos that can happen in real life.
The performances across the four central characters are strong, but it is the writing that carries the film. The dialogue is engaging, the themes feel relevant and several sequences build on themselves, growing more chaotic and more revealing as they unfold.
In the end, Splitsville is not a feel-good film. It is messy, morally questionable and at times frustrating. But it is also honest, well-written and consistently entertaining.
It may not offer characters you can root for, but it does offer something arguably more interesting: a reflection of modern relationships that feels uncomfortably real.
