One of the things I love about cinema is that folks are always trying new things. It’s a true artform, and despite the hundreds of years we’ve had it, directors are still coming up with new and innovative ways to tell a story.
When I saw the trailer for The Wilde Girls, I knew I had to see it. Presented as a Hundreds of Beavers style absurdist comedy, The Wilde Girls follows sisters Tinsley and Beatrice Wilde, having recently lost their fortune in the stock market crash of the 1920s, as they try to survive and eventually create a new life for themselves. The trailer is slapstick, witty, and presents the kind of setting and special effects that create a surreal form of comedy. The actual movie is actually pretty different from the trailer in some ways, but I still really enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed the leads’ dynamic, and both Lydia Pearl Pentz and Cali Scolari are so deeply in character that their absurd exchanges with others and each other just kind of wash over you after a while. This movie clearly took a lot of experience from Airplane, The Naked Gun and other movies like it, and the jokes are constant. While a lot of them fell flat for me after a while (particularly later in the movie’s runtime), it didn’t decrease my enjoyment. There are simply so many jokes that the funny ones really carry you through, and the tone remains fun without dipping too far into cringe or trying too hard.
What surprised me most about The Wilde Girls was its more wholesome moments, and just how much they work. The tonal shift between the comedy and drama is stark, but once the scene settles in, it just works. I can’t really even explain why, but you just become very invested in the story and characters. It may just be that everything is working well enough that the movie magic takes over, and despite the overall silliness of the premise, The Wilde Girls has a lot of heart.
There are certainly some rougher edges to this film. Some of the obvious voiceover work really shows at times, and it can take you out of the moment, while at other times it adds to the humor (though probably unintentionally). The runtime is almost two hours long, and even though I enjoyed most of it, it could have benefited from a shorter runtime with less filler.
If you enjoyed Hundreds of Beavers, you need to check this one out the second it hits streaming. It’s a kooky, fun time, with a solid cast and an absolutely wild ride of a plot. Despite its flaws, The Wilde Girls makes for a really fun comedy, and I’d love to see what this creative team does in the future.
The Wilde Girls is now streaming on the Relay app. It will arrive on Roku, Amazon Prime, AppleTV, Fandango, and Tubi on Friday, February 13, 2026.