Life long friends Ben (Ben Marshall), John (John Higgins), and Martin (Martin Herlihy) find themselves drifting apart as Ben tries to impress his disapproving father (Conan O'Brien) while Martin tries to fit in with his girlfriend, Amy's (Nichole Sakura), family as John still feels without purpose. Remembering an old compass the trio found when they were children, John soon puts together that it's a clue to the lost treasure of Foggy Mountain which conceals a valuable bust of Marie Antoinette that has largely been written off as a legend. As the trio navigate the clues left behind, they come across various hazards from both the local wildlife and other parties who have their sights set on the treasure.
Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain is the feature debut for comedy trio Please Don't Destroy consisting of Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy who first came to prominence through viral internet comedy videos before becoming part of the long running sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live. Development on the film began in 2022 with an eye on a theatrical release, but eventually Universal pulled it from its prospective release date replacing it with Strays instead deciding to release the film as an original for their Peacock streaming service. Going into this movie I'll admit I wasn't all that familiar with Please Don't Destroy not having seen their initial internet work or their work on SNL, but as a showcase for their talents The Treasure of Foggy Mountain makes for likable laid back viewing even if I wasn't won over so much by the material.
Starting off on the positives, Ben, John, and Martin despite not playing that far from themselves (sharing names and all) have fantastic chemistry and timing with each other and the opening montage featuring the trio roller skating to work is very charming and filled with a lot of comic energy that exudes from the trio. The three show some solid work in both dialogue exchanges and physical schtick and even get a charming little musical interlude as part of the treasure hunt. I also enjoyed the supporting cast such as Conan O'Brien as Ben's father and Megan Stalter and X Mayo as two park rangers who cross paths repeatedly with the trio and we get some solid comic friction from their interactions. Despite my praise for the chemistry and presence of the cast, the actual movie itself is very middle of the road material that unfortunately feels pretty safe. I think this may come down to me as I've seen a LOT of "shenanigans in the woods" type comedies with the likes of Great Outdoors, Without a Paddle, and Up the Creek to name a few and in many ways the movie does feel like a highlight reel of those tropes of the formula even being something of a sister film to Without a Paddle. That alone isn't really a knock against the movie itself as plot and setup aren't nearly as important to comedy as delivery and timing, but I never felt like there was that much of a twist on the material and set pieces like a cult lead Bowen Yang's Deetch Nordwind or a prominent third act cameo just ended up falling flat for me.
While I liked the chemistry and energy brought by the talented cast, it's probably for the best Universal made this a streaming release as there really aren't enough big belly laughs to justify a theatrical run and it's best enjoyed for the "okay" experience it is on the small screen. I honestly hope we do see more of Please Don't Destroy in future projects (maybe in TV form or something they didn't write by themselves) because they have a strong foundation, they just need to build sturdier material on top of it.
Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain is the feature debut for comedy trio Please Don't Destroy consisting of Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy who first came to prominence through viral internet comedy videos before becoming part of the long running sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live. Development on the film began in 2022 with an eye on a theatrical release, but eventually Universal pulled it from its prospective release date replacing it with Strays instead deciding to release the film as an original for their Peacock streaming service. Going into this movie I'll admit I wasn't all that familiar with Please Don't Destroy not having seen their initial internet work or their work on SNL, but as a showcase for their talents The Treasure of Foggy Mountain makes for likable laid back viewing even if I wasn't won over so much by the material.
Starting off on the positives, Ben, John, and Martin despite not playing that far from themselves (sharing names and all) have fantastic chemistry and timing with each other and the opening montage featuring the trio roller skating to work is very charming and filled with a lot of comic energy that exudes from the trio. The three show some solid work in both dialogue exchanges and physical schtick and even get a charming little musical interlude as part of the treasure hunt. I also enjoyed the supporting cast such as Conan O'Brien as Ben's father and Megan Stalter and X Mayo as two park rangers who cross paths repeatedly with the trio and we get some solid comic friction from their interactions. Despite my praise for the chemistry and presence of the cast, the actual movie itself is very middle of the road material that unfortunately feels pretty safe. I think this may come down to me as I've seen a LOT of "shenanigans in the woods" type comedies with the likes of Great Outdoors, Without a Paddle, and Up the Creek to name a few and in many ways the movie does feel like a highlight reel of those tropes of the formula even being something of a sister film to Without a Paddle. That alone isn't really a knock against the movie itself as plot and setup aren't nearly as important to comedy as delivery and timing, but I never felt like there was that much of a twist on the material and set pieces like a cult lead Bowen Yang's Deetch Nordwind or a prominent third act cameo just ended up falling flat for me.
While I liked the chemistry and energy brought by the talented cast, it's probably for the best Universal made this a streaming release as there really aren't enough big belly laughs to justify a theatrical run and it's best enjoyed for the "okay" experience it is on the small screen. I honestly hope we do see more of Please Don't Destroy in future projects (maybe in TV form or something they didn't write by themselves) because they have a strong foundation, they just need to build sturdier material on top of it.