There’s nothing quite like seeing a premiere on a festival midnight slate. The crowd is hype and electric, bursting with laughs and cheers and hollers – and that’s all before the title card even drops. “Buddy” benefits greatly from this kind of ruckus crowd, the energy fueling its overall enjoyment and at times picking up some slack for what the film lacks overall. It’s a whole lot of ideas that choose psychotic execution over fleshed out conclusions, leaving a bit of a mixed bag that rests on the laurels of a hyped crowd and major vibes check. And honestly, that’s fine if you can see it in the intended format with the right people and the right mindset. I don’t know how it may play outside of the festival bubble, but inside the secluded snow capped mountains, the crowd ate it up.
Casper Kelly expands his Adult Swim episodic work (“Too Many Cooks,” “Stroker & Hoop“) into feature length with “Buddy,” staying in line with those roots as the film feels like it was ripped straight from Cartoon Network at 2am. That’s actually complimentary, as that’s a really fun way to spend a late night on the near crash out from too many libations. It’s premise is simple but effective: a 90s kids TV show (think murderous “Barney” or nightmare fuel “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse“) starring a lovable magical unicorn named Buddy who sings and teaches lessons to the surrounding kids. The show quickly turns deadly as a kid on the show mysteriously goes missing after refusing to join the dance party. A few of the other children start to question his disappearance, and soon realize that the fun loving Buddy isn’t what he seems and they are actually stuck inside the show. They set out to escape, hoping to reach Diamond City, but the further they get the more dangerous things become and the lines between reality and TV begin to blur.
The production design and puppetry is immaculate, nearly everything in “Buddy” done practical and in camera. Kelly is having as much fun filling every frame with wild set pieces and fully functioning puppets that look purposefully shoddy as he is with his stacked cast and bonkers ideas. That cast includes Cristin Miloti, Topher Grace, Keegan Micheal-Key, Michael Shannon, and Patton Oswald, all of whom are dialed up to 11 and completed committed to the vision. The voice work from Michael-Key, Shannon and Oswald are particularly excellent, nearly unrecognizable until you check the credits to see who voiced who. “Buddy’s” stunning design is such a stark reminder of what we lose when we seek to digitalize everything, and a testament to the fact that there is just nothing quite like actual artists creating and practical effects. You are constantly reminded that you are inside of a television show, and that meticulous detail quite literally sucks you in to the insanity and constantly takes you on a fun, wild ride.
“Buddy” is bloody, fun, and laugh out loud funny, knowing when to turn that dial to demented levels that is sure to delight audiences. I don’t know that it all works – there’s a whole lot of ideas here and only some are fleshed out in a satisfying ways – but “Buddy” get’s more and more fun the weirder and weirder it gets. It accomplishes more world building and thematic messaging in the final 5 minutes than most horror films get across in 2+ hours, and I wish it was given a little bit more time to wrap those ideas up and make them make a little bit more sense. Still, the message is clear and cartoonish violence is unending, and isn’t that why we come to the cinema? “Buddy” is a satirical sledgehammer to the blandness of kids television and digs deep into millennial childhood memories, turning those harmless singing shows into straight up nightmares.
I genuinely have no idea who in the world is going to buy “Buddy” and how the hell any studio can sell it even though it has broad appeal. It’s not quite fit for A24 or Neon but too good and too big of a cast for something like Shudder. Whoever does end up snagging it out of Sundance, one thing is absolutely certain for “Buddy” to find success: it HAS to be seen in theaters with the biggest crowd you can possibly find.
Something this wild and this off the wall needs the collective energy of a game crowd ready to check in with their vibes, and “Buddy” simply cannot work watching it at home, alone on the couch, second screening it in the background. There are right and wrong ways to watch movies, and “Buddy” deserves your undivided attention on a big screen with a bunch of people sharing the experience.
Case in point, “Buddy” is a blast. A deranged, go for broke experiment that makes the most of all of its bizarre ideas and push the limits filmmaking. When it finds its audience, ‘Buddy” is a treat. Now who wants a hug?
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
“Buddy” had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival Midnight section on January 22nd, 2026.
