Physical media is making a comeback, with Criterion Collection sales boosting Blu-Ray and 4K collections and music artists returning to releasing albums on vinyl. For cinephiles, these are great pieces to collect, but what if you could own the original film print of one of cinema’s most iconic films? Stealing Pulp Fiction asks that question with, you guessed it, Quentin Tarantino’s groundbreaking film Pulp Fiction (1994). Young cinephile pals Jonathan (Jon Rudnitsky), Steve (Karan Soni), and Elizabeth (Cazzie David) cook up a plan to steal the famed director’s personal 35mm print from his own Los Angeles theater during a bi-annual screening of the film. 

A lot of films since Pulp Fiction have been dubbed Tarantino rip-offs, and it’s hard to outdo an auteur like him, but this film offers more than simple homage–it straight up tells you it’s in rip-off territory. From the opening scene in a diner to the over-the-top violence, there are direct references to his entire filmography. 

Admittedly, the plot is pretty stupid and chaotic, but this is a feature of the movie, not a bug. We all cringed when  Oliver Cooper, playing an absurdist caricature of Tarantino, audibly laughed at the opening seconds of his own film, trying to get others to join in. Like many side quests found in his films, Stealing Pulp Fiction offers a few detours well worth the journey. Despite the dumb premise, the film has a lot of fun to offer, especially for avid moviegoers. 

The film opens on Steve and Jonathan getting dinner together before a midnight screening at Tarantino’s theater, both of them thinking of new business ventures and get-rich-quick schemes. Steve has one idea that sounds promising, saying, “I’m putting my money where my mouth is.” Naturally, Jonathan says back, “I want to put some money in your mouth, get involved.”  

Rudnitsky and Soni have incredible chemistry, with the former being the more practical “ideas guy” of the pair and the latter embodying golden retriever energy, going along with the plan a little too innocently. The way they play off each other works fantastically, and you can see Rudnitsky’s one season on SNL nearly a decade ago paying off. They deliver some genuinely funny moments, mostly through their quick banter and line delivery. David’s performance as Elizabeth, friend to Jonathan and love interest to Steve, also plays well with their dynamic, offering a more deadpan style of dialogue that cuts into the quick-witted nature of her peers. 

The other notable performance here is Jason Alexander as Dr. Mendelbaum, both Jonathan and Steve’s therapist. Very much playing up his George from Seinfeld stereotype, the schmuck of a therapist finds himself involved in the scheme as well, offering very little to the execution but wanting just as much of the reward. Alexander’s presence adds some much-needed experience to the cast, but his character is played primarily for laughs and isn’t taken seriously by the other members of the crew. 

At a brisk 78 minutes, Stealing Pulp Fiction is a flashbang of wit, humor, and Tarantino-filled nostalgia. Anyone who cares for the director’s films will find enjoyment in this self-aware, cinephile version of National Treasure. Despite my thoughts on the film, I can personally say I would rather have the original film reels of Pulp Fiction than the Declaration of Independence, and I assume you might say the same if you’re reading this. 

Review Courtesy of Cameron K. Ritter

Feature Image Credit to Story in the Sky via The New York Times