Video summary
Buffet Infinity is a 2026 horror-comedy film directed by Simon Glassman, serving as a Shudder exclusive release set for August 21st. The movie presents a unique narrative structure that initially resembles a compilation of vintage 1990s television commercials, news footage, and various clips taped together to form a long-term story. While the beginning may feel disjointed to some viewers, similar in style to Tim Robinson's "I Think You Should Leave," the film gradually reveals its plot as these disparate elements begin to interact. The story centers on two rival restaurants in a small town whose competitive dynamic escalates through a series of satirical advertisements, eventually weaving in other seemingly random commercials that turn out to be integral to the unfolding horror narrative.
The film relies heavily on a specific brand of humor that blends the absurdity of Adult Swim with the chaotic energy of short-form internet content, which may not appeal to everyone but offers significant value for those who enjoy this comedic style. Throughout the runtime, the script manages to maintain a consistent level of wit and creativity, avoiding the common pitfall where comedy trails off in the second act. The writer's ability to conceive numerous distinct commercial concepts that all converge into a cohesive story is highlighted as a major strength, with each ad receiving follow-ups that progressively advance the plot. This approach creates a frantic yet engaging atmosphere that mimics the experience of scrolling through endless social media reels, though this pacing might feel overwhelming to viewers who prefer traditional storytelling rhythms.
Despite its creative merits and a surprisingly solid payoff in the finale, the reviewer notes that the film's length of approximately one hour and thirty-two minutes feels excessive for its format. The constant stream of clips can become exhausting, leading the critic to suggest that the story could have been effectively told in under an hour without sacrificing the humor or impact. Nevertheless, the musical score is praised as well-composed and interesting, adding a layer of depth that might be unexpected given the film's fragmented aesthetic. The ending successfully balances the comedic tone with the horror elements, delivering a satisfying conclusion that justifies the creative risks taken by the filmmakers.
Ultimately, Buffet Infinity is positioned as a polarizing title that will likely divide audiences based on their tolerance for its specific humor and pacing. While the reviewer personally rates it three stars due to the runtime issue, acknowledging that it could easily be a 3.5 or even four-star film for others who appreciate its unique vision. The movie stands out as a Canadian production that challenges conventional storytelling by using a collage of media to explore themes of competition and community tension. For viewers who enjoy nostalgic 90s TV aesthetics and experimental comedy-horror hybrids, the film offers a distinct experience that rewards patience and an appreciation for creative coordination over traditional narrative flow.
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Thanks for checking out this movie
review video. This is for the 2026
release Buffet Infinity. Really weird
name. It's a Shudder exclusive coming
Friday, August 21st. So, this is a no
spoiler review. So, people are going to
feel differently about this film maybe
than me. It's going to take a specific
type of person to really love the film,
but I see a lot of value in this.
Not that I disliked it. I did not
dislike it at all, but I'm just saying I
see some people who are really going to
love this film. I liked it. I think
there are people who are going to love
it though. Maybe there's some people who
are going to hate it, but I think that's
going to be a lot less.
Anyway, Buffet Infinity directed by
Simon Glassman who did Felt Up, which I
have not seen. Written by Glassman as
well as Allison Bench and Alicia Snyder.
This is a Canadian film.
Again, Shudder exclusive coming Friday,
August 21st. So, synopsis.
I can't tell you a whole lot, honestly,
because there's not Like there is a
decent amount of story to it, but the
way it plays out, it kind of feels like
there's not a lot of story to it until
you kind of get to the end of it and
then you're just like, "Okay, there is a
decent amount of story." So,
it's basically the way the film sets up
is it's just a bunch of commercials,
basically, and like some news footage
and some other things like that from
what looks like 90s television. And
someone like taped all these little
clips and put them together, basically.
And it does tell a story long long term,
but in the long run, but it's
early on it just feels like a bunch of
clips. It actually feels a little bit
similar to some of the stuff that's done
with like Tim Robinson's I Think You
Should Leave. That type of stuff cuz it
is comedic, too. But there is like a
horror element that comes into it later.
There's another element that comes into
it later, but I'm not really going to
say anything about that cuz I feel feel
like that's a little too spoilery, but
uh so yeah, so it's based in this town
where there are two
um restaurants that are kind of vying
for attention.
And it kind of gets like heated between
them as things go through, and you're
just getting this through the
commercials, honestly. Like they start
taking jabs at each other. But then
there are other types of commercials
that end up getting thrown in there that
you're kind of like at least at first
they just seem like, oh these are just
like extra things to be kind of like
interesting and funny and fill the time,
but they end up being involved in the
story as well. So trust that like things
do come together. There is a solid
payoff in the end for this, but I also
believe that this style of film is not
going to be for everyone. I like the
humor quite a bit. Uh there I'm sure I
think there're going to be people,
obviously, that just aren't going to
love that type of humor. It does feel
kind of like Adult Swim uh Tim Robinson
type humor, like a mix of those two
things at times, which I actually think
those two types of
humor aren't too far from each other,
but I like those personally.
So if you like that type stuff, I think
you're going to be down with it. But let
me go over some of my notes with this.
Uh it is hard to believe it is hard to
believe that the clips will continue for
the entirety of the run time. Uh
and that was kind of one of the issues
because as it's it feels a little
frantic to me. For that reason, it's
just like a clip, a clip, a clip, a
clip. So in a way it kind of feels like
being on social media and just watching
a bunch of short
like reels or shorts on YouTube or
whatever you want to call them.
And
for me personally, I do that very
infrequently. I actually don't spend a
ton of time on my phone intentionally
because I want to have more of an
attention span so I can sit down and
like fully pay attention to an entire
film at one time, and also not have all
the other ill effects of being addicted
to your phone and social media, which is
like having impulse control issues and
being more angry and like
a lot of terrible things, basically. So,
um
I can see people who are more online and
are more into just like watching
short-form entertainment liking this a
lot more than I did because to me it
felt like overloading at times because
of how it's just like clip, clip, clip,
clip, clip. And you know, when I say
that, it's not like it's like 5 seconds
or anything. They're like, you know,
they're typically like 30 seconds to a
minute, somewhere in there each of these
clips, but to for me personally, it just
felt like a little much at times, but
that's just me.
Uh there is a good good humor that runs
throughout the film. I think they did a
nice job with making it legitimately
funny and keeping the funny running.
Like it is very hard with a lot of these
films like keep it consistently funny
for the entirety of the film. And
it's just
it's interesting humor. Some of it's
kind of like low-key humor, but the fact
that they just kept it going
consistently throughout the film is
great. A lot of films that are like
funny or, you know, trying to be funny,
they'll be funny in the beginning and
then it just starts to trail off and it
either it just becomes not funny or they
just kind of end up dropping a lot of
the comedy. Now, the comedy
does get slightly less towards the end,
but not a whole lot less. So, kudos to
them for doing that. So, it's it's good
writing and I I also have to say there's
a lot of creativity here.
I don't think I could have sat down and
come up with all these concepts for each
of these types of commercials and keep
them going for as long as they did and
then also having them kind of come
together as one story. Like that seems
really hard to coordinate for me,
honestly.
Uh Uh fun to see the commercials get
follow-ups that progress the story for
each of them. So, I I did like that
aspect. Like I said in the beginning,
you're just kind of like I don't see how
this is how some of these really are
going to go anywhere.
Trust me, they do cuz
creativity.
Uh it definitely has that legitimate 90s
TV feel to it, which is, you know,
nostalgic for me because I remember
watching a lot of TV in the 90s cuz I
was young at that point. Uh it does feel
kind of frantic, which is challenging at
times. Kind of already covered that.
There's a lot of creativity here, and
it's hard to imagine how this was
conceived. Basically, I already said
that. Uh all the commercials do come
together to contribute to that overall
story. Talked about that.
Uh the ending being a good payoff. I did
I was very surprised with how solid the
ending was for what the story was here,
and how the humor was still going with
this ending, and it was hitting. It was
definitely hitting at that point. Uh it
unfortunately for me, it does feel kind
of too long for what it is, like being
just a bunch of commercials. It's like I
think it's like an hour and 32 minutes
with credits.
Um I
The credits aren't super long, and there
is like some entertainment with the
credits. Oh, and I do need to say that
the music in that is a lot of fun and
very interesting and well composed. So,
really nice job with the score for this.
You would think there's probably not
like a score for it, but there there
like there's a score to the film.
Uh this does feel similar. I don't know
how many people will actually get this
reference, but there's a podcast called
Welcome to Night Vale.
And there is like a similar feel to
Welcome to Night Vale. So,
yeah. But, um I will say that this film
on Letterboxd at the moment that I
looked at Letterboxd when I'm reviewing
this is sitting at a 3.5 star rating. Um
for me, personally, I'm going to go
three stars, but I did heavily consider
going three and a half. It's just
the length uh like how how kind of um it
it gets a little bit exhausting for me
personally, and I just it just feels
like it needed to be cut down some.
Honestly, this should should have been,
in my opinion, like an under an hour to
like an hour under an hour type film,
and they could have done that in that
time. But, you know, on the other side
of what I'm saying here um they kept it
with good humor. So, I mean, that that's
impressive. So
you know, I could talk myself into a
3.5, but for me, a three
I'm I'm not surprised at all that it's
sitting at a 3.5, and I think that's
totally fair for people to have it
there.
Uh but, I could see people going four or
even more than that. So, this is where I
would like to ask you, if you've seen
the film, do you want to comment? Do you
want to tell me what you thought about
it? You can go ahead and do that down in
the comments, and we can talk spoilers
in the comments. That's totally cool.
I'm I'm fine with that.
Um do me a favor, though. If you like
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this and until next time keep it brutal.