‘Pretty Problems’ SXSW Review: A Comic Tale Of Wealth, Privilege, Relationships, Sex & Wine

deadline.com:

A couple have a wild weekend away in Pretty Problems, Kestrin Pantera’s laugh-out-loud comedy premiering at SXSW.Written by Michael Tennant, who also co-stars, it’s a witty look at wealth, privilege and relationships over a couple of days of hedonism in wine country.Lindsay (Britt Rentschler) is as bored with her marriage to Jack (Tennant) as she is working in a boutique — until Cat Flax (JJ Nolan) swoops into the store, showering her with flattery and conspicuous displays of wealth.

The pair bond over a bottle of wine, and Lindsay arrives home flushed with excitement about her rich new friend. Jack reluctantly agrees to accept Cat’s invitation for a weekend away, and they jump into a car and drive into another world: of butlers, gift bags, massages and astronomically expensive wine their hosts forget even buying.Cat’s married to Matt Flax (Graham Outerbridge), a self-made billionaire who’s joined at the hip to his best friend Kerry (Alex Klein), a trust-fund kid who’s dating Carrie (Charlotte Ubben).

While Lindsay sees an opportunity to live a different life, Jack is suspicious and uncomfortably out of place, especially as he’s now a door-to-door salesman, having lost his job as a lawyer.

Their relationship is tested as they go from dinners to wine tastings to murder-mystery parties, where it turns out Lindsay has a connection to a member of staff.There’s a suggestion of a conspiracy, something Jack addresses head-on when he half-jokingly wonders if the weekend will be a “Purge” thing, or a sex thing.