As a blurb on the cover of this Blu-ray tells us, “AwardsWatch” declared 2025’s Splitsville to provide “the funniest film of the year”. How can I resist a look given that level of praise, even if it seems premature given 2025 hadn’t concluded yet?

On a drive to visit friends Julie (Dakota Johnson) and Paul (Michael Angelo Covino), Ashley (Adria Arjona) abruptly tells her fairly new husband Carey (Kyle Marvin) that she wants a divorce. This comes out of nowhere and throws Carey for a loop.

As he seeks consolation, Paul and Julie tell Carey they’re in an open relationship. This leads Carey and Julie to get it on, a choice with more repercussions than anticipated.

Back in 2019, Covino and Marvin united for The Climb. They co-wrote the film, co-starred in it and Covino directed it, a situation that repeats with Splitsville.

Climb provided a comedy about two pals whose friendship struggles when its Covino character reveals that he slept with the Marvin role’s fiancée. Why does that sound familiar?

I won’t call Splitsville a remake of Climb, as they come with a variety of differences. Still, they share more than enough similarities to make me wonder if the guys decided to revisit the same well with the new movie.

Whatever connections I sense, I think Splitsville offers the better realized of the two. Climb attempted to deliver a rich exploration of the complexities involved with long-term friendships but it lacked the depth to satisfy its goals.

I can say the same for Splitsville. Clearly it wants to dig into the ups and downs of romantic situations, but it never gives us a strong view of these domains.

Some of that stems from the casual nature in which Splitsville treats love thanks to the open relationships involved. Carey eventually convinces Ashley to stay married and just fool around with other people, a decision that branches out into its own complications.

This leads to some potentially intriguing events, but I get the feeling Covino and Marvin think the premise will do all the work for them. As occurred with Climb, Splitsville also bites off more than it can chew.

A more defined version of the story would limit itself to the basic Carey/Julie/Paul dynamics. Instead, Marvin/Covino spread matters in an extremely broad manner ala the way Climb attempts a semi-epic narrative.

As noted, I think Splitsville becomes a better-realized film than the spotty Climb. However, it comes with a lot of the same issues, most of which connect to the overly ambitious scope I mentioned.

Because it spreads itself so thin, Splitsville feels like a series of abbreviated scenes. While it covers tons of territory, the basic product lacks depth.

Sometimes it seems like Splitsville comes from a much longer movie edited down to 105 minutes. Or maybe it gives the impression of a short film stretched too thing.

Whichever way you choose, the movie lacks coherent execution. Not that it comes without charm, as the actors do fine in their roles, even if I find it tough to swallow that hotties like Johnson and Arjona would find themselves sexually drawn to the dumpy and balding Marvin.

Granted, Covino doesn’t seem all that attractive either, mainly because the 40-year-old looks a good 15 years older. Still, Covino at least resembles a handsome man aging poorly and shows magnetism the schlubby Marvin doesn’t possess.

Beyond this stretch of believability, Splitsville gives us a breezy enough time to create some entertainment. However, its rambling nature means it doesn’t gel.

Splitsville appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Though not stellar, this became a largely positive presentation.

For the most part, sharpness looked nice. At times, some shots tended to be a little soft, but those examples weren’t terribly intrusive. Most of the film appeared fairly accurate and concise.

No concerns with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and edge haloes remained absent. Source flaws also failed to create problems.

In terms of colors, Splitsville opted for a subdued palette that took on a low-key mix of amber and teal. The tones didn’t dazzle, but they worked for the story.

Blacks were deep and firm, while shadows showed good delineation. Overall, this was a pleasing image.

I thought that the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Splitsville seemed fine but it didn’t excel because of a lack of ambition. Like most comedies, the movie featured a limited soundfield that nice stereo spread to the music as well as some general ambience from the sides.

Panning was decent, and the surrounds usually kicked in basic reinforcement. A few scenes opened up better, though, like those on the beach or with fireworks. However, most of the movie stayed with limited imaging.

Audio quality appeared good. Speech was natural and distinct, with no issues related to edginess or intelligibility.

Effects sounded clean and accurate, with good fidelity and no signs of distortion. Music was perfectly fine, as the score and songs showed positive dimensionality. This track was good enough for a “B-“ but didn’t particularly impress.

The Making of Splitsville goes for seven minutes, 14 seconds. It features notes from writer/director/actor Michael Angelo Covino, writer/actor Kyle Marvin, stunt coordinator Tyler Hall, and actors Nicholas Braun and Simon Webster.

The program discusses story and characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, photography, We get a few decent shots from the production but this remains a fluffy and superficial piece.

The disc opens with an ad for Sentimental Value. We also get a trailer for Splitsville and two TV spots.

As a statement about relationships, Splitsville comes with potential. However, although it remains watchable and moderately entertaining, the end product spreads itself too thin and doesn’t come together in a meaningful manner. The Blu-ray brings generally positive picture and audio with minor supplements. While not a bad movie, Splitsville needs a steadier hand to achieve its goals.