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While you were grilling hot dogs and watching fireworks this 4th of July weekend, hopefully, you were also celebrating another momentous occasion for America, and indeed, the world: The well-deserved rise of comedian Sam Richardson.
Best known as Richard Splett from Veep—or perhaps, in some corners of the internet, as the host of the “Baby Of The Year” sketch from Netflix’s I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson—Richardson has been quietly crushing it as an underrated gem for years. This weekend, he made a splash starring in not one but two movies that opened on Friday: Amazon’s blockbuster action flick, The Tomorrow War; and IFC acclaimed indie horror-comedy movie, Werewolves Within. And to top it all off, he’ll also appear in the new season of I Think You Should Leave, which is premiering on Netflix tomorrow.
In The Tomorrow War, Richardson plays a supporting character named Charlie, a civilian sent to the future to fight alien monsters alongside Chris Pratt in the year 2051. Despite Pratt’s comedy background, almost every laugh-out-loud line film is delivered by Richardson, who easily steals every scene. Charlie is a familiar action movie comic relief character—the regular Joe who has no idea what he’s doing, in contrast to the competent leading man—but Richardson manages to find a fresh take on the trope, swapping out incoherent screaming for a sweeter, more genuine befuddlement.
“I bought this at Ross Dress For Less because I thought I was going to be cold!” he says in his very first scene. I have no proof that Richardson improvised this line, but I feel in my bones that he did. Later, he adds some much-needed levity to yet another bang-bang machine gun action scene by chanting, “Shit shit shit shit shit,” over and over as he fires his weapon. Do I wish director Chris McKay had given Richardson more screentime? Yes. But to McKay’s credit, he clearly recognizes the comedian’s appeal, and even gives him the last joke of the film. As far as Richardson’s first foray into mainstream action flicks goes, The Tomorrow War is a damn fine showcase of his talent, and perhaps even positions him to become the next big action-comedy star.
But if you really want to get your Richardson fix, you simply must watch Werewolves Within, a hilarious horror-comedy that is now available to rent on digital platforms. Directed by Josh Ruben, and written by Mishna Wolff, this film stars Richardson in the leading role (he also serves as a producer), as a forest ranger named Finn who takes on a new assignment in the remote city of Beaverfield. Finn has recently been soft-dumped by his girlfriend, and he’s trying to work on being more assertive and less of a pushover. Things seem to be going well when hits it off with a cute mail-woman named Cecily (Milana Vayntrub)—and then everything falls apart when a mysterious creature starts terrorizing the town.
As Decider’s Josh Sorokach smartly wrote in his review, Richardson is absolutely the perfect choice for his character’s “inherent affability and disarming earnestness.” He and Vayntrub are an unstoppable comedy duo, playing off each other’s awkwardness for maximum ridiculousness. The first time Richardson utters “Heavens to Betsy”—in the most serious, dramatic way possible, after he discovers terrifying claw marks—you can just feel that line becoming a favorite quote of cult movie lovers everywhere. He repeats it throughout the film, always finding a new hilarious inflection, and it killed me every time. (YouTube compilation: when?)
No spoilers, but by the end of Werewolves Within, Richardson will have won you over so thoroughly, you’ll be clamoring for the sequel. Thankfully, you won’t have to wait long for more Richardson content—I Think You Should Leave Season 2 hits Netflix tomorrow, and while I haven’t yet seen it, I have no doubt that Richardson and his BFF Tim Robinson—with whom he co-created and co-starred in the Comedy Central series Detroiters—will hit some off-putting yet strangely endearing home runs. It’s officially the summer of Sam Richardson, and frankly, it’s about time.
