''Search Party'' is a 2014 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Scot Armstrong Scot Armstrong is an American screenwriter, Film director, director, and Film producer, producer. He is credited with writing or co-writing numerous comedy films, including ''Old School (film), Old School'', ''The Hangover: Part II'', ''Semi-Pro ...

(in his feature directorial debut), who co-wrote the screenplay with Mike Gagerman and

Andrew Waller Andrew Waller is an American film director. He has directed the films ''Taking Five'' and ''American Pie Presents: Beta House'', both of which were released in 2007. Prior to directing, he worked as a photographer on the short films ''Liquid'' ( ...

, based on a story by Gagerman and Waller. The film stars

T.J. Miller Todd Joseph Miller (born June 4, 1981) is an American actor and comedian. In 2008, he made his acting debut in ''Cloverfield'', and from 2010 to 2014, he voiced Tuffnut Thorston in the first two '' How to Train Your Dragon'' films. From 2014 to ...

Adam Pally Adam Saul Pally (born March 18, 1982) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for starring as Max Blum in the ABC comedy series '' Happy Endings'' and as Dr. Peter Prentice in ''The Mindy Project''. He also starred ...

Thomas Middleditch Thomas Steven Middleditch (born March 10, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian and screenwriter. He is known for his role as Richard Hendricks in the HBO series ''Silicon Valley'' (2014–2019), earning a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award ...

Alison Brie Alison Brie Schermerhorn (born December 29, 1982) is an American actress. Her breakthrough came with the role of Trudy Campbell in the drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), which won her a Screen Actors Guild Award. She gained recognition fo ...

Shannon Woodward Shannon Woodward (born December 17, 1984) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Sabrina Collins on the FOX sitcom ''Raising Hope'' (2010–2014), Elsie Hughes on the HBO science-fiction thriller series ''Westworld'' (2016 ...

, and

Krysten Ritter Krysten Alyce Ritter (born December 16, 1981) is an American actress and model. She came to prominence when she appeared as Jane Margolis in the AMC drama series '' Breaking Bad'' (2009–2010) and its spinoff film '' El Camino'' (2019). She the ...

. ''Search Party'' was released in 2014 internationally, but was not released in the United States until May 13, 2016, by

Focus World Focus Features LLC is an American film production and distribution company Distribution (or place) is one of the four elements of the marketing mix. Distribution is the process of making a product or service available for the consumer or bu ...

. The film received generally negative reviews from critics.

Plot

Daniel "Nardo" Narducci (

) is having a bachelor party with his best friends, Jason (

) and Evan (

). Nardo tells his friends he isn't sure he is doing the right thing while under the influence of

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

. The next day in the middle of the wedding Jason tries to stop Nardo from getting married, which makes the bride Tracy (

) storm out. Tracy goes alone to the honeymoon vacation in Mexico. Nardo goes after her to get her back, but on his way he is carjacked and left naked. He calls Jason for help. Jason puts Evan in the car while he is asleep and heads towards Mexico. They stop in California to get a fake ID because Jason has lost his. Nardo arrives at a town in Mexico and calls again, he is next to a wire service company and Evan offers to send him money through it. They go to a casino to meet a friend who can help them transfer the money. Evan hits on a girl in the casino, but she drugs him and takes him to a room to steal his kidney. Jason finds Evan and eventually rescues him from the criminals. While escaping, one of the criminals shoot them with burning arrows and one arrow hits the car, the car then burns and explodes. Failing to get any money, the woman who agreed to help Nardo gets angry and he runs from her naked and jumps right into a cocaine

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...

. When found, he is tied to a chair. At some point Nardo frees himself, jumps into the truck and drives away. He gets to see Tracy through a hotel window but before he gets to her, he gets caught by a guard and sent to jail. After that, Nardo sends for help by making a phone call to Evan. The rescue is successful, and Nardo and Tracy get married.

Cast

as Jason *

as Evan *

as Daniel "Nardo" Narducci *

Lance Reddick Lance Reddick (born December 31, 1962) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing Cedric Daniels in ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Phillip Broyles in ''Fringe'' (2008–2013), and Chief Irvin Irving in '' Bosch'' (2014–2020) ...

as Cal *

as Tracy *

as Elisabeth *

as Christy *

Jon Glaser Jonathan Daniel Glaser (born June 20, 1968) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for his work as a writer and sketch performer for many years on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', creating and starring in the Adult Swim s ...

as Marty *

J. B. Smoove Jerry Angelo Brooks (born December 16, 1965), commonly known by his stage name J. B. Smoove, is an American actor, comedian and writer. After beginning his career in 1995 on ''Def Comedy Jam'', he was a writer and performer on NBC's ''Saturday Ni ...

as Berk *

Jason Mantzoukas Jason Mantzoukas (, el, Ιάσων Μαντζούκας; born December 18, 1972) is an American actor, comedian, writer and podcaster. He is best known for his recurring role as Rafi in the FX comedy series ''The League'', and as one of the th ...

as The Amazing Hugo *

Brian Huskey Brian Huskey (born September 8, 1968) is an American character actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for his roles in comedy programs such as '' People of Earth'', ''Childrens Hospital'', ''Veep'', and ''Another Period''. He also provides ...

as Pargo *

Rosa Salazar Rosa Bianca Salazar (; born July 16, 1985) is a Canadian-American actress. She had roles in the NBC series '' Parenthood'' (2011–2012) and the FX anthology series '' American Horror Story: Murder House'' (2011). She made her breakthrough as t ...

as Pocahontas *

Tracy Vilar Tracy Vilar (born Tracy Leigh Vilar April 12, 1968; and sometimes credited Tracy Villars) is an American actress. Career She is best known for her roles as Ro-Ro on the CBS sitcom '' Partners'', Sophia Ortiz on The WB sitcom ''The Steve Harve ...

as Sarah MacLachlan *

Riki Lindhome Erika "Riki" Lindhome (born March 5, 1979) is an American actress, comedian, and musician. She is best known as a singer and songwriter for the comedy folk duo Garfunkel and Oates. After making her television debut in 2002 with minor roles in t ...

and

Kate Micucci Kate Micucci ( ; born March 31, 1980) is an American actress, comedian and musician who is half of the musical comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates. Some of her roles include Stephanie Gooch in '' Scrubs'', Ally in '' 'Til Death'', Shelley in ''Raisin ...

as Wedding Singer Duo

Production

In March 2010, it was revealed that

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

had picked up the spec-script 'Road To Nardo' written by Andrew Waller and Mike Gagerman, with

directing and producing the film. It was also announced Ravi Nandan, Neal Moritz, would produce alongside Armstrong under their

Original Film Original Film is an American film and television production company founded by Neal H. Moritz. Notable films the company has produced include the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. History Original Film was started out in the early 1990s by Neal H ...

banner, with Ori Mamur executive producing. In June 2011, it was revealed that

had been cast in the lead role of the film. In August 2011,

was cast in the film landing the title role of Nardo. In March 2013, it was revealed that

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

had acquired the film, from Sony who dropped the film. In April 2013, it was revealed that

had joined the cast of the film. That same month,

was cast in the film. In May 2013,

joined the cast of the film.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

began on May 1, 2013, and concluded on June 27, 2013.

Release

Universal Studios originally set a release date for the film for September 12, 2014, however the date was pushed back, being released in France on December 10, 2014. and in the United States on May 13, 2016.

Reception

The film received poor reviews from critics.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Search Party 2014 films 2010s buddy comedy films American buddy comedy films Films set in California Films set in Mexico Films shot in California Films shot in Louisiana Focus Features films Gold Circle Films films Original Film films Surreal comedy films Universal Pictures films 2014 directorial debut films 2014 comedy films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films