''Peel'' is a 2019 British

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film co-produced and directed by Rafael Monserrate and starred by

Emile Hirsch Emile Davenport Hirsch (born March 13, 1985) is an American actor. He played Chris McCandless in '' Into the Wild'' (2007). Other notable film roles include '' The Girl Next Door'' (2004), ''Lords of Dogtown'' (2005), '' Alpha Dog'' (2006), ''Sp ...

. The movie was first shown on 7 February 2019 at the

Santa Barbara International Film Festival The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an eleven-day film festival held in Santa Barbara, California since 1986. The festival boasts screenings of over 200 feature films and shorts from different countries and regions. SBIFF al ...

Plot

A simple and good-hearted character, Peel Munter, is left lost and alone at the age of 30, when his over-protective mother dies. He has to learn to fend for himself, befriending neighbors, getting housemates to pay the mortgage, and finally reuniting with his long-lost brothers in a gentle coming-of-age story.

Cast

as Peel Munter *

Jack Kesy Jack Kesy () is an American actor. On television, he has portrayed Gabriel Bolivar on the FX horror drama ''The Strain'' (2014–2016) and Roller Husser on the TNT dark comedy ''Claws'' (2017–19). He also played Black Tom Cassidy in the Marve ...

as Roy, Peel's first housemate *

Shiloh Fernandez Shiloh Thomas Fernandez (born February 26, 1985) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the television series ''Jericho (2006 TV series), Jericho'' and ''United States of Tara'', and the films ''Deadgirl (2008 film), Deadgirl'', ''Red ...

as Sam, Peel's brother *

Jacob Vargas Jacob Vargas (born August 18, 1971) is a Mexican-American actor and performer. Early life Vargas was born in Michoacán, Mexico, and raised in Pacoima, Los Angeles, California. He was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family. He attended high sch ...

as Chuck, the 2nd housemate *

Garrett Clayton Gary Michael "Garrett" Clayton is an American actor and singer. He is known for portraying Tanner in the 2013 Disney Channel movie '' Teen Beach Movie'' and its 2015 sequel '' Teen Beach 2'', and other film, television, and stage roles. Life ...

as Chad, the 3rd housemate *

Amy Brenneman Amy Frederica Brenneman (born June 22, 1964) is an American actress and producer. She worked extensively in television, coming to prominence as Detective Janice Licalsi in the ABC police drama series ''NYPD Blue'' (1993–1994). Brenneman nex ...

as Lucille, Peel's mother *Troy Hall as Will, Peel's older brother *

Yaya DaCosta Camara DaCosta Johnson (born November 15, 1982), better known as Yaya DaCosta, is an American actress and model. She was the runner-up in Cycle 3 of ''America's Next Top Model''. DaCosta eventually went to star in ABC's daytime drama series ''All ...

as Sarah, Will's wife *Angelina Joo as Chun Ja, Peel's friend *Hana Hwang as Jooeun, Chun Ja's cousin

Release

Reception

* Noel Murray from the ''

LA Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' wrote: "The problem is that "''Peel''" is so persistently twee that when it tries to introduce heavier themes - involving the lasting damage family and friends thoughtlessly inflict on each other - the general sense of unreality gets in the way." Roger Moore from the website "Movie Nation" gave the movie only 1.5 stars out of 4, stating: "Hirsch is a gifted comic actor and could have made a lot more out of this unworldly guy who draws and snorkels obsessively and gets his hair cut about as often as Johnny Depp. And no, a few sweet moments in the final act don’t paper over the emptiness that precedes them. "''Peel''" is just as its title suggests, a movie that's all surface peel and no substance."

References

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, peel_2019 2019 comedy-drama films 2019 films British comedy-drama films 2010s English-language films 2010s British films