Y2K was given an R-rating by the MPAA for “bloody violence, strong sexual content/nudity, pervasive language, and teen drug and alcohol use.” Some of these topics may be discussed in this review.

Kyle Mooney, most well known for his nine-season run on Saturday Night Live beginning in 2013 to 2022, premiered his directorial debut film Y2K at South by Southwest on March 9, 2024, which hit theaters on Dec. 6. The film was distributed by A24 who is no stranger to the horror genre with films like I Saw The TV Glow which released in May of this year.

Set on New Year’s Eve 1999, Eli (Jaedan Martell) and Danny (Julian Dennison) crash Soccer Chris’s (The Kid LAROI) party for a chance to talk to girls. Eli’s hope is to kiss Laura (Rachel Zegler) at midnight. But at midnight, his plans don’t go as expected and everyone’s nightmare becomes reality. Y2K is real, and it is more than just technology no longer working, it is technology turning on humans. The film makes a dramatic shift from strictly comedy to horror with the house party quickly becoming a chaotic massacre set on from the house’s electronics.

The film’s comedy strongly reminded me of The Office with a bit more of an awkward joke delivery style, which would make sense with Mooney’s previous NBC ties. Mooney himself played Garrett, a stoner movie rental store clerk who looked like a fun character to portray. However, the comedy blends into emotional scenes as well which while still funny, also makes it hard for some scenes to establish a tone. For example, a scene after the party where Eli, Laura, Ash (Lachlan Watson), and CJ (Daniel Zolghadri) hide in a porta-potty to get away from a killer robot. The porta-potty begins going downhill upside down and Eli and Laura share an intimate moment being close to one another but not before being covered in the contents of the porta-potty upon hitting the ground. It is scenes like this that prevent the film from being more than just a horror/comedy, I think it had the potential to have a coming-of-age aspect to it as well.

I think that the film was enjoyable but it should not be taken very seriously. It seems to try a little too hard to set the scene of the ’90s or early 2000s, especially by casting Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit to play himself. I think that alone set it over the edge, the fashion and slang used in the film did a good enough job of setting the scene. However, with characters referring to certain articles of clothing by name, like Eli’s Eric Koston shoes that someone calls him a poser for wearing since he doesn’t skate, feels like a very forced way to remind the audience that it was 2000.

Ultimately the film is one I would watch again either for a New Year’s Party or in October. While it isn’t the best horror film that A24 has put out I do believe that it will find its audience and has the potential to be a cult classic.