Nostalgia Without the Sugar Coating

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MOVIE REVIEW
Everything Fun You Could Possibly Do in Aledo, Illinois
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Genre: Comedy, Drama
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 1h 05m
Director(s): Bethany Berg
Writer(s): Bethany Berg, Gina DeAngelis, Christina Shaver
Cast: Suzy Bogguss, Jennifer Estlin, Sara Sevigny, Eddie Heffernan
Where to Watch: available now, stream here: www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: What do we owe the people we used to be, and how much of that debt is still unpaid decades later? EVERYTHING FUN YOU COULD POSSIBLY DO IN ALEDO, ILLINOIS builds its entire identity around that question, then refuses to answer it with cynicism, irony, or exaggerated quirk. Instead, it opts for something rarer and riskier in contemporary indie comedy: sincerity without apology. There’s heart, a lot of heart here in this film, and it's clear from start to finish!

Directed by Bethany Berg, the film follows two childhood friends who return to their hometown for a high school reunion and stumble upon a forgotten senior-year bucket list. What begins as a playful attempt to reclaim unfinished business gradually reveals itself as a reckoning with time, distance, and the compromises that accumulate when life pulls people in different directions. The premise sounds deceptively lightweight, but the film understands that emotion doesn’t require dramatic escalation to land.

Jennifer Estlin and Sara Sevigny anchor the story as Brenda and Gabby, a pairing that feels real from their very first exchange. Their chemistry never relies on snappy banter or heightened comedy. Instead, it’s built on shared shorthand, awkward silences, and the kind of affectionate irritation that only exists between people who have known each other for most of their lives. The performances never strain for laughs, and that restraint becomes one of the film’s greatest strengths.

The bucket list itself is intentionally mundane. Skinny dipping, shoplifting something trivial, kissing boys who no longer matter. These aren’t grand gestures or fantasy fulfillment, and the film never pretends they are. What gives them weight is the context. Each item represents a moment when possibility still felt infinite, when the future hadn’t yet narrowed into responsibility, disappointment, or routine. The humor emerges not from the acts themselves, but from watching middle-aged women test whether those impulses still belong to them.

Aledo, Illinois, is treated as a character rather than a backdrop, and the film’s affection for the town is evident in every choice. It doesn’t mock small-town life, nor does it romanticize it into a postcard version of Americana. Instead, it captures the heartbeat of a place where everyone knows your past, whether you want them to or not. The local sheriff, played by Eddie Heffernan, isn’t the expected villain so much as an embodiment of that familiarity. If you live in Illinois (outside of Chicago), you’ll immediately feel at home with so much of this film!

EVERYTHING FUN YOU COULD POSSIBLY DO IN ALEDO, ILLINOIS walks a careful line between comedy and reflection. The film earns its laughs through specificity rather than through punchlines. Many of the funniest moments land because they feel unplanned, like fragments of real conversations rather than scripted jokes. That gives the film an inviting feel, as though the audience is being let in on something rather than just watching a performance.

One of the film’s most distinctive elements is its use of music. Suzy Bogguss, who also appears as the film’s narrator, contributes original songs that function as punctuation rather than musical notes that just exist. The soundtrack never overwhelms the film. Instead, it reinforces the themes of memory and resilience. For a production of this scale, the inclusion of original music of this quality feels almost defiant, a reminder that ambition doesn’t always require excess.

Bogguss’ narration is used sparingly and thoughtfully. It does not explain the film or guide the audience through every emotion. Instead, it frames the story as something already lived through, something remembered with affection and clarity rather than regret. There’s no padding, no unnecessary subplot expansion, no attempt to inflate the story into something it isn’t.

What ultimately sets EVERYTHING FUN YOU COULD POSSIBLY DO IN ALEDO, ILLINOIS apart is its refusal to chase irony. It doesn’t wink at the audience or undermine its own tenderness. In a landscape crowded with indie films that mistake detachment for insight, this one commits to warmth, community, and honesty.

This isn’t a film about reclaiming youth or a coming-of-age story, so much as a tale about acknowledging what remains. It understands that growing older shouldn’t mean abandoning the person you were; it only means renegotiating your relationship with them. By the time the final moments arrive, the bucket list has become less important than the act of remembering why it mattered in the first place.

EVERYTHING FUN YOU COULD POSSIBLY DO IN ALEDO, ILLINOIS is a small film with clear-eyed intentions and the discipline to follow through on them. Its strength lies in its specificity, its affection for place, and its belief that ordinary lives are worthy of reflection.

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[photo courtesy of BIG C CREATIVE, RM. 19 PRODUCTIONS, QUESTAR ENTERTAINMENT]

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