Parents' Guide to Y2K

Kyle Mooney's multi-genre comedy offers flashes of humor but ultimately underdelivers as a raunchy, bloody nostalgia trip. Y2K follows best friends Eli and Danny as they awkwardly navigate a very momentous New Year's Eve. They spend the day hanging out—including a visit to the adults-only "champagne room" of a local video store (managed by Mooney's perpetually stoned Garrett, whose defining trait is being a "White guy with dreads")—and bumping into Laura and her friend group as they swipe booze from a convenience store. Dennison shines as the film's MVP, bringing exuberance and charm. He stands in notable contrast to Eli, whom a jock cruelly but aptly dubs a "dud" early on. As is typical for a teen comedy, the boys' primary goal is to get lucky, here symbolized by a peculiar condom they once discovered tucked inside a library copy of The Giver.

But when the deaths—including those of some of the funniest characters—start piling up, the film's momentum wanes, and it devolves into disjointed encounters with the killer, clunky-looking robots. For millennials and younger Gen Xers, the nostalgic touches—Y2K paranoia, 1990s fashion, music, TV shows, and even AOL's "You've got mail" chime—are likely to offer some laughs. Yet, dated references alone can't carry the film. The third act also stumbles, with Durst's oversized role feeling out of place when a cameo would have had more impact. Despite its promising setup, Y2K falls flat and is really best suited for background noise, unless you're a die-hard Bizkithead.