With a snappy title and an ensemble cast of comedians and well-known actors, Drugstore June is an original concept with writing that is witty and humorous, but doesn’t quite reach the mark of laugh-out-loud comedy.
The film is one of those rare examples of a project with a lot of focus, as opposed to having too many competing visions. It was written by both the main star, Esther Povitsky, and the director/editor, Nicholaus Goossen, whose last (and only) hit film was the 2006 cult comedy Grandma’s Boy. Both Povitsky and Goossen knew what they wanted out of this movie, though it could have been executed better.
Based on the cover poster and the title, it’s reasonable to assume that Drugstore June is about a girl who takes at least some kind of pharmaceutical — but that assumption would be wrong. June is, instead, a completely sober 20-something young “Zillennial” who may not partake in any substances (she’s never even tried alcohol before), but has no problem awkwardly telling customers at the pharmacy she works in whether they should consider a Xanax prescription.
More of a commentary on the younger side of the Millennial generation (or older Gen Z’ers), the film struggles through its first half, with June coming off as more of a caricature pulled out of a Bill Burr skit than a real person. The second half picks things back up, though the ending, and the reveal of the mystery that drags the plot along, was unrewarding.
June Is a Stereotype of Young Zillennials
Shout! Studios
The story follows the eponymous June, a slacker who is seemingly in her mid-20s and still living at home. She is obsessed with constantly live-streaming to her small-but-devoted fanbase, and even more obsessed with her ex-boyfriend Davey (Haley Joel Osment), who dumped her years ago.
Povitsky shines as June, reminiscent of Sarah Silverman in her early days, though not quite as funny. She plays the annoying and highly strange June exceedingly well, but that doesn’t stop the character from being more irritating than funny, except for a few moments of hilarious one-liners. Mostly, June is just unlikable. Her character can be summarized by a line from one of the cops: “It’s a good thing it’s not a crime to have a bad personality, cause you’d have a life sentence.”
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It’s hard to root for her in any meaningful way. June mooches off her doting mother (Beverly D’Angelo) and gambling addict father (James Remar), hates her Zoomer brother Jonathan (Brandon Wardell), and eats junk food throughout the entire film, while simultaneously wishing for a gluten allergy.
When the pharmacy is robbed, June assumes it must be related to her somehow — because, of course, everything is. She decides to solve the crime herself, and brings along her boss Bill (played by the hilarious Bobby Lee, who deserved more screen time). They head to a seedy bar, where June gets a tip that leads her to a marijuana dispensary store across the street — which is promptly robbed by the sexy Owen (Danny Griffin), who she met earlier.
Shout! Studios
The story is relatively original, and there was a lot of potential. The writing is sharp, even if it doesn’t produce laugh-out-loud moments like Grandma’s Boy. The film would have suffered much more had it not benefited from the excellent soundtrack by Alex Geringas, which paired well with Goosen’s snappy editing.
Comedians like Bobby Lee, Al Madrigal (from The Daily Show) could have been used more to elevate the humor, too. Lee has one of the funniest lines: cop tells Bill he is giving off bad vibes, and he responds, “Is that how it works now? The police go by vibes?”
Bill Burr’s appearance in the film as June’s doctor feels entirely random by contrast, as if it was just a way to allow Burr to do a bit from his stand-up act in the film. It would have been funnier had it not felt forced into the movie.
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The film not only feels more like a commentary than a comedy, it doesn’t even do the commentary well. One of the officers tells June at one point that he wants to get a point through her “thick entitled millennial skull.” This is more the heart of the movie than anything else, and it comes off as extremely dated. Older Millennials are in their late 30s now, with kids. June is, at best, a “Zillennial,” too young to relate to older Millennials, who will cringe at this joke, and too old to still be living with her parents, according to the film.
By the end, June has some self-reflective moments, and learns some lessons — maybe. It might be more of a sideways step than a forward one, but it’s better than nothing. Her lessons feel somewhat earned, but the whodunnit mystery of the pharmacy robbery is ultimately disappointing, with an entirely unearned resolution.
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