'The Package' Review: Netflix's Raunchy Teen Comedy Is Really Dumb, But It Works

The Package is one of the dumbest movies on Netflix, and now it is one of my favorites.

This 94-minute teen comedy quietly dropped on the streaming service back in August to little fanfare. If anything, users may recognize it as "that eggplant emoji movie," being as Netflix often changes its digital poster to just an eggplant emoji. That is fitting, not only because "Eggplant Emoji" was the movie's working title, but also because the movie is all about d— jokes.

The premise is that a group of dimwitted teen guys (Daniel Doheny, Luke Spencer Roberts and Eduardo Franco) and girls (standouts Geraldine Viswanathan and Sadie Calvano) go on a camping trip. One of the boys suffers an unfortunate accident to his penis, triggering a comedic race to ensure the group member's member can be repaired.

The premise is basic and could simply be a compacted into a Smosh video or a crude Funny or Die skit. However, writers Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider get a surprising amount of gas out his simple setup. Every time you are certain they have run out of road, another wild wrench gets thrown in the group's journey. The hijinks are only slightly padded out by a romantic subplot, but really, it's all about the wacky, often gross situations the group gets tossed into.

Obviously, this film is filled to the brim with low-brow humor. There is an asinine amount of d— and sex jokes contained in this movie. Furthermore, it goes full-on gross out on numerous occasions and isn't afraid to be completely outrageous. However, it works. This is a dumb movie, and it knows it. There's not even an underlying takedown of tropes or society like in Netflix's similarly genital-themed series, American Vandal. Even without the presence of substance, it does not phone it in like a lot of your low-brow straight to DVD comedies. It just wants to keep raising the bar of just how idiotic and revolting it is every step of the way.

A lot of older viewers will scoff at this movie and be repulsed by it, but a lot of teens and young adults will get a kick out of it. As a recovering teen (also known as someone in his early 20s), The Package was an ideal late night watch. It was simple, has some solid laughs and exceeds the presumably low expectations most will have for it going into it.

While it won't end up on anyone's top 10 lists this year — mine included — The Package is dumb fun. There are a lot of safer ways to spend your Netflix time, but this one embraces the outrageous in a memorable way.

The Package is currently streaming on Netflix.

Photo Credit: Netflix / Dean Buscher