Welcome back to another installment of Review Stew! This week we head back to the world of short films. That’s right, bust out your library card cause we’re firing up Kanopy and taking a look at… Lunch Ladies (2017).
Title: Lunch Ladies
Director: J.M. Logan
Released: August 13, 2017 (United States – HollyShorts Film Festival)
Runtime: 19 minutes
Watched via: Kanopy
LouAnne (Mary Manofsky) and Seretta (Donna Pieroni) are sisters who work as lunch ladies at Melvin High School. They both are burnt out and genuinely just looking for a good reason to quit their jobs.
Luckily, they’ve won a contest to fly out and meet Johnny Depp. Not only are they both super fans of the actor, but this is their big escape. Goodbye Melvin High, hello cooking for Johnny Depp.
Though, there’s just one catch… while they won the contest, they didn’t win the airfare to get themselves there. In order to cover the airfare, they need to keep their jobs. However, the principal has said that if the lunches don’t start improving in quality, LouAnne and Seretta are out of a job.
Do the sisters have what it takes to keep their jobs in order to fly out and impress Johnny Depp enough to become his personal chefs?
As I scrolled through the horror short film section on Kanopy, the thumbnail and title for Lunch Ladies (2017) caught my eye.
A horror film involving lunch ladies? Sure, I’ll check that out.
This wound up being a perfect blend of horror and comedy with just enough substance to keep things moving.
Both Manofsky and Pieroni bring exactly what was needed to their respective roles as super fans and burnt out professionals. Add in some clever writing that pulls from a film adaptation that Johnny Depp was in, and you have yourself a fun and entertaining 20 minute watch.
If you find yourself in the mood for a horror comedy short, Lunch Ladies (2017) has you covered.
So, have you seen Lunch Ladies (2017)?
If so, leave a comment or reach out on Bluesky and let me hear your thoughts on it!
As always, you can follow me over on Letterboxd to see everything else that I’ve been watching lately.