Come Play

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By John Gregory

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Before moving forward, I should address the fact that this movie follows a non-verbal, autistic main character. This is not a neurodevelopmental disorder or community that I personally have an in-depth knowledge of. Any declarations on the character’s accuracy I could make would feel hollow and inappropriate. As such, I urge anyone reading this to consult the proper sources to educate themselves on topics surrounding the representation of these individuals in cinema. Remember: no matter how much we think we know, it is always good to develop our opinions with those in these communities.

Come Play follows Oliver, a non-verbal autistic child who is glued to his phone nearly 24/7. Not only does it give him hours of Spongebob, the greatest show ever made, but it’s a tool for him to communicate with others. You see, it’s not easy for him at school. Poor kid has a tough time interacting with others. He doesn’t have friends. Even his home life is a bit rough as his father moves out while his loving mom is overwhelmed by the change. That’s when a digital storybook pops up on Oliver’s phone screen all about a little fella named Larry. This whimsical creature wants a friend. And Oliver could fill that role perfectly...whether he wants to or not.

Let me state this now: I like Come Play. That said, this movie doesn’t come together perfectly. It’s not any one big thing, just a lot of little things. The writing for the children is a tad off. They sound their age one moment and then twenty years older the next. The backstory for Larry is just a smidge too vague. And though he admittedly looks rather creepy, his creature design isn’t the most unique out there. Some of the scares also rely a bit too much on jumpscares. Issues like those previously mentioned litter Come Play’s runtime. Again, none of this kills the movie. It just makes the movie punch lighter than it could. All that said, Come Play does some things quite well.

The greatest element to Come Play is the payoffs. Numerous setups come into play (no pun intended) much later in the movie. Not an easy task but something this movie does accomplish well. One moment in a field is particularly well done (though I won’t spoil it here). I also like how believable Oliver’s isolation is. Making friends is extra difficult for him so, when he feels like no one is there for him, it makes sense he’d consider Larry’s offer. The ending was also surprisingly touching, which is nice because the scene before it was pretty messed up, even for a horror movie. I also enjoy that we don’t have a long wait until Larry gets introduced to the story. Feels hip nowadays to get the monster in early rather than have twenty minutes of regular family drama then forty minutes of some ghost stuff, and then fifteen minutes of supernatural research to get to the actual stuff we wanted to see.

Monster movies can be a blast. And while Come Play didn’t reach its highest highs, I would be lying if I didn’t say there wasn’t something to enjoy here. If you’re a horror fan, give it a watch. Heck, this could be the perfect group-of-friends-on-a-Friday-night horror movie once COVID finally dies a fiery death. Just have your popcorn on hand, a soda in the other, and keep your phone off. Don’t need any phone monsters jumping out while you watch it.