DANCES WITH FILMS 2025 REVIEW! I’m so mixed on Homewrecker, written and directed by Dante Marino. It is definitely worth seeing (highly recommended), but…OK, let’s get into it. Megan (Reilly Anspaugh) is a young woman whose dreams are dashed when her mother backs out of an agreement to pay a significant portion of the house purchase cost, as promised to her long ago. The reason for the setback is her stepfather, Carl (Bradley Snedeker), who is being sued for assaulting someone in a road rage incident.
Megan never liked Carl in the first place and is convinced he has ill intentions toward her, as he seems to be taking all of her mother’s money, i.e., her inheritance. Frustrated and suspicious, she becomes convinced that Carl is the problem standing between her and the future she wants. With her tech-savvy boyfriend Liam (Daniel Rashid), she starts plotting a way to remove Carl from the picture permanently.
Using Liam’s skills in artificial intelligence, Megan schemes to create a fake sex tape featuring Carl, intending to convince her mother that he’s been unfaithful. What begins as a seemingly simple plan quickly escalates into a high-stakes deception as Megan doubles down, covering her tracks and pushing the scheme further to make the lie stick. Each new twist raises the stakes and draws Megan deeper into the moral gray area she’s created for herself.
“…Megan schemes to create a fake sex tape featuring Carl…”
Homewrecker is essentially a heist movie. In order for the sex tape to be believable, Liam has to be Carl’s body double and have simulated sex with their super-hot friend, Ava, which unnerves Megan. Megan also has to get an audio recording of Carl and her mom having sex. Getting a digital recording in her mom’s bedroom is the heist portion.
As a comedy, there has to be an element of grounded believability. This happens when Megan is forced to recruit her and Liam’s friends to participate. In fact, Megan has to tell small white lies to get help, and ultimately, the question has to be asked…does Carl deserve this? I do love the conversation around the ethics of using social media and technology to cancel people. Should we play judge and jury over someone else’s life?
Overall, Homewrecker works as a comedy and as a heist film. There’s a great deal of tension as Megan almost gets caught a few times along the way. We also see her desperation and the personal compromises she has to make for the plan to work, which leads me to the ending—not going to spoil it. But I have to say, it felt very polarizing to me. The best way to say it is that the ending is final, but I disagree with it. But don’t let the ending ruin a fun 90 minutes.
Homewrecker is a smart and twisted comedy that blends a tech-fueled heist with a sharp critique of digital cancel culture. Reilly Anspaugh leads a strong cast in a story that keeps the tension high and the ethical lines blurry. While the ending may divide audiences, the journey is consistently engaging and full of surprises. It’s a fast, funny, and relevant 90-minute ride that’s well worth your time.
Homewrecker screened at the 2025 Dances With Films.
"…a smart and twisted comedy that blends a tech-fueled heist with a sharp critique of digital cancel culture."
