Reviewed by Tracey Paleo, Gia On The Move
On the night that Stephen plans to propose to his girlfriend Alice, her father Cal shows up ahead of her to talk him out of it. You might be thinking: one of the uglier scenarios in relationship hell. And you would be right. Because it doesn’t stop there in THE BOX. Not only does Cal intimidate his not-so-soon-to-be son in law, the early evening takes a violent turn after Cal reveals just how much he knows about his daughter’s boyfriend. When Cal also challenges him to a physical test meant to psychologically debilitate him, Stephen is left to try and explain to Alice the unforeseen consequences. But there’s more. There always is. And when Alice finally arrives, the reason why Cal interfered on his daughter’s behalf is revealed and it’s so much worse than Dad stepping in. Neither Alice nor Stephen can continue to lie about their true feelings about one another.
There is some stellar acting in this fast-paced, 80-minute melodrama directed by Patrick Hamilton. Chelsea J. Smith (Alice) and Conor McGee (Stephen) have an especially easy chemistry between them and they beautifully fence the emotional undertone of the dramedy to crescendo; which isn’t particularly easy in the bare space or when the menacing Cal (Darrell Shipley) is in the room. There is also the difficulty of the setup. There’s a sort of actor scene-study class feeling about script. A bit one note and not a lot of nuance. Exciting but not particularly believeable.
All three actors make it mostly work, however, even if the occasional monologue is directed at the audience instead of another actor. (I honestly wouldn’t want to turn my back on a person as threatening as Cal). And even though, all three take turns at being completely unlikeable. Overall, it’s a fun little relationship comedy thriller that definitely offers a sobering thought to “till death do us part.”
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