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Not a single character in Splitsville knows what they’re doing — and that’s exactly why it works. Michael Angelo Covino’s second feature, after his debut film, The Climb, is a whip-smart “unromantic comedy” about love, divorce, and the false confidence of people who think one self-help article makes them relationship gurus.

The setup is deliciously simple: Carey (Kyle Marvin, The Climb), a sweet goofball whose emotional toolbox is basically hugs and apologies, gets the rug pulled out from under him when his wife Ashley (Adria Arjona, Blink Twice) asks for a divorce. Heartbroken, he runs to his best friend Paul (Covino) and his wife Julie (Dakota Johnson, Fifty Shades of Grey) for comfort, only to find their “happy marriage” runs on open-relationship fuel. At first, it sounds enlightened. Sophisticated, even. Until Carey takes their advice way too literally—and suddenly everyone’s love life is as tangled up as that charging cord at the bottom of your bag.

Covino and Marvin’s script nails the funniest kind of comedy: people who think they’re rational while acting completely the opposite. These couples talk like they’ve cracked the code on modern love, but jealousy, insecurity, and poor judgment keep crashing the party. It’s less about open marriage than it is about the comedy of self-deception — watching people claim they’re evolved while imploding in spectacular fashion.

What makes Splitsville such a treat is that it doesn’t moralize. Open marriages aren’t glamorized, divorce isn’t demonized, and monogamy isn’t glorified. Instead, the filmmakers' script leans into the comedy of people earnestly talking like they’re on the cutting edge of modern love while making the same old mistakes—sulking, snooping, and blowing up their lives over nothing. The genius is in the gap between what these characters say about love and what they actually do. It’s as cringe-inducing as it is funny, yet we revel in the messiness, loving that it isn’t our own mess.

The cast brings it all home. Marvin makes Carey so likable that even his worst choices land with a “bless his heart” energy. Arjona sidesteps cliché and gives Ashley a refreshing honesty—you get why she’s over it. Johnson is effortlessly funny as Julie, weaponizing her cool-girl vibe into killer deadpan delivery. And Covino himself, with his dry-as-dust timing, is the guy you want narrating your worst mistakes.

Visually, Splitsville is far from your average flat-looking comedy. With Adam Newport-Berra behind the camera, the film has style to spare — wide frames that box characters into their absurdity, smooth tracking shots that set up jokes, and just enough cinematic flair to remind you this isn’t sitcom filler.

In fact, there’s a spectacular fight scene that starts in front of a motionless camera, then explodes into a full-on brawl as the camera glides after them through the house—furniture splintering, glass shattering—before collapsing, hilariously, into a hug and an apology. Honestly, it’s better choreographed than half the set pieces in today’s mega-budget action movies.

The result is a film that’s modern in subject matter yet timeless in sensibility. Yes, it’s about open relationships, but really it’s about the endless, clumsy quest to understand love—and how often we lie to ourselves in the process. Covino calls it an “unromantic comedy,” but don’t be fooled: Splitsville may ditch the happy ending, yet it’s far truer (and far funnier) to how relationships actually work. Or rather, how they don’t.

Splitsville is the most honest relationship comedy you’ll see all year.

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 104 mins
Director: Michael Angelo Covino
Writer: Michael Angelo Covino; Kyle Marvin
Cast: Dakota Johnson; Adria Arjona; Kyle Marvin
Genre: Romance | Comedy
Tagline: An Unromantic Comedy
Memorable Movie Quote: "Sir, why is your penis out?"
Distributor: Neon
Official Site: https://www.neonrated.com/film/splitsville
Release Date: September 5, 2025
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: When Ashley asks for a divorce, the good-natured Carey runs to his friends, Julie and Paul, for support. Their secret to happiness is an open marriage; that is, until Carey crosses the line and throws all of their relationships into chaos.