Jerrod Carmichael makes his directorial debut and stars in “On the Count of Three,” a darkly comic feature about two best friends, Val (Carmichael) and Kevin (Christopher Abbott), on the last day of their lives. Val has reached a place where he feels the only way out is to end things. But he considers himself a bit of a failure—his effectiveness lacking—so he figures he could use some help. As luck would have it, Val’s best friend, Kevin, is recovering from a failed suicide attempt, so he seems like the perfect partner for executing this double suicide plan. But before they go, they have some unfinished business to attend to.
In his Sundance review, IndieWire’s David Ehrlich wrote that “‘On the Count of Three’ can ultimately afford the temerity to thread the needle between comedy and desolation because of how Abbott and Carmichael work together. Like a game of Russian roulette, this is a movie that would have seemed embarrassingly stupid if things had gone wrong. It’s a dangerous and somehow enjoyable movie that dances around the edge of an open wound from start to finish as it risks making light of the heaviest things that so many of its viewers will ever have to carry. But it’s exhilarating — a little at first, and then a hell of a lot — to see these characters find the kind of happiness worth dying for.”
Also starring in the film are Christopher Abbott, Tiffany Haddish, JB Smoove and Henry Winkler. It has been directed by Jerrod Carmichael and written by Ari Katcher & Ryan Welch.
Stream August 17 on Hulu. If you or a loved one is in crisis, please reach out to National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK to talk to someone who can help.
