Dangerous Number: A chaotic night in the phone book

Is it worth the watch?

If you like movies that feel like a manic episode from the 1930s, then sure, dive in. This isn't a masterpiece, but it has a specific kind of restless energy that makes you wonder what the screenwriters were thinking. If you need logic or stable characters, you will probably hate it. It’s for the folks who want to see a guy ruin his own life in real-time.

Hank Medhill is the kind of guy who shouldn't be allowed to make big life choices. He drags Eleanor out of a perfectly fine wedding just to realize they have nothing to talk about. That scene where they just sit there, staring at each other in the house, is genuinely uncomfortable. You can practically hear the crickets in their marriage.

So, he goes for the phone book. It’s a classic move, right? Just pick a name and hope for the best. What could go wrong? Everything, obviously. The night turns into this strange, frightful slog that feels less like a comedy and more like a fever dream.

The pacing is all over the place. Sometimes it feels like a snappy screwball flick, and other times it drags like it's trying to get somewhere it doesn't want to be. I found myself focusing on the background extras more than the main plot at some points, especially in the café scenes. Some of those background actors look like they are just waiting for their lunch break.

The weird stuff

• The dog, Von, has more personality than half the supporting cast.
• The phone book sequence? It’s pure 1930s anxiety.
• There is a moment in the hallway that lasts way too long. It’s weirdly hypnotic.
• The reveal with Vance is handled with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

It’s not quite as sharp as The Kid's Clever, but it shares that same frantic DNA. Sometimes you just want to reach into the screen and shake the characters. Like, stop talking! Just go home! But they never do. They just keep making it worse.

The ending lands with a thud, which is almost fitting given how shaky the start is. It’s not a film that stays with you, but it’s definitely one you watch and go, "Well, that happened." If you enjoy watching a train wreck unfold from the safety of your couch, you’ll find something to like here. Just don't look for any deep meaning. It’s just a man, a phone book, and a lot of bad vibes. 📞