HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL 2025 REVIEW! Matt Campanella’s Sunday Sauce is grotesque and in-your-face. Before that starts sounding like a complaint, that is the entire point of this 14-minute short. So then does the writer-director-actor successfully combine humor, body horror, and family dysfunction into one head-spinning trip?
Nancy (Cathy Moriarty) is the cranky matriarch of an Italian-American family. Unbeknownst to her, while she’s busy cooking Sunday dinner, with an emphasis on her sauce, her middle-aged son Gino (Matthew Risch) is locked in the bathroom getting off to sexy photos and messages from various men. Nancy’s sister is in a coma, but they keep her in the living room so she can still be around. Although that means niece Francesca (Nicole Ehinger) hangs about despite Nancy hating the fact that she’s pregnant. More specifically, she believes Francesca’s boyfriend is worthless.
The day takes an unexpected twist when Marco (Campanella) shows up. His mom, who is also in attendance, is friends with Nancy, who invited them ostensibly to set up Marco and Francesca. The problem is that Marco is one of the people Gino was just masturbating to. Of course, they recognize each other, setting the stage for a tension-filled and over-the-top meal.
A tense dinner unfolds in Matt Campanella’s Sunday Sauce.
“…invited them ostensibly to set up Marco and Francesca. The problem is that Marco is one of the people Gino was just masturbating to…”
Throughout Sunday Sauce, Moriarty launches zingers left and right, proving why she’s been such a fierce talent throughout her decades-long career. Despite the cavalier way Nancy talks to her family, the actor finds a warmth underneath the crass facade. Risch has the least showy role, as it is his journey the story explores, but he’s quite good. He’s likably earnest and nails the complexity of discovering one’s identity in secret. Ehringer is hysterical in each of her scenes. The way she savagely tears into the guests and proclaims her boyfriend is not a loser might be the funniest part of the film. Campanella does a good job of exploring the confusion his character is feeling over the unexpected meeting.
Campanella places the camera in extreme close-up for much of the brief runtime. Sometimes it is of the food, people eating it (lobster is not eaten like corn on the cob, right?), or of an actor’s face to sell the humor, confusion, or drama. Think of the style as a blend of John Waters and the lovechild of Michael Bay and Sergio Leone. The directing style may alienate some audience members due to its intentionally disgusting nature. However, those people would miss out on a sweet ending that explores love in all its forms and acceptance.
Sunday Sauce is excessive in its portrayal of food and consumption, but that is its intention. Campanella shows a keen awareness of how far he can push things before completely turning everyone off, and deftly walks that line. His screenplay tells an often funny, always sweet story that comes to life thanks to an excellent cast.
Sunday Sauce screened at the 2025 HollyShorts Film Festival.
"…a blend of John Waters and the lovechild of Michael Bay and Sergio Leone."
