or, “The Next Hundredth Go-Around:
400 Words on Zachary Levi”:
A spoiler-free mini movie conversation.
“Coyness is nice,
and coyness can stop you
From doing all the things in life that you want to,
So if there’s something you’d like to try…
Ask me, I won’t say no, how could I?
Because if it’s not love,
then it’s the bomb that will bring us together.”
– “Ask” by Morrissey & The Smiths
[cont’d]
Although the act of ‘assumption’ is technically gauche, sometimes, accurate speculation can be drawn from bearing witness to the repetitive cycles of life itself. It’s like the melody from a centennial Christmas carol matching a modern pop song: there may be a billion people on the planet, but certain patterns are finite.
“Sarah’s Oil” (or SO) has Zachary Levi in it – and he produces. God help us.
If Spring’s ‘uplifting’ trainwreck “The Unbreakable Boy” instilled anything, it’s that Levi (TV’s “Chuck”; DC’s “Shazam”) is a barnstormer, who falls back on his familiar ‘man-baby’ schtick when confronted with an acting gig beyond his hard qualifications.
Here – unlike in Boy, where that character’s guile gave Levi the license to fall backward – Zach is forced to play his wildcatter Bert straight, due to SO’s serious themes about greed & prejudice. And all due credit, he’s not as abominable as before, with child cohort Naya Desir-Johnson balancing him better than Boy’s Jacob Laval.
But from the first moment he’s on-screen, Levi is unable to quiet his mugging, and, gradually, Desir-Johnson is promoted from balancing, to rescuing her older co-star & would-be mentor. This is no more apparent than in the cringey moments in a segregated White diner, blocked like a comedy; or a major third act death, which leaves Zach visibly exasperated from working so hard to be authentic.
While most sealed-and-shipped movies don’t get the chance for 1.2 revisions (barring Ridley Scott or Fede Álvarez), in putting these critical essays together, I’ve found it disciplinary to offer some suggestions for improvement, where I can. In modern society – where calling something “f’kn gay” but not actually contextualizing why is criticism enough – it seems fair to point out alternate methods for others to consider for the next hundredth time they have a go-around with the same shit.
If he’s really that interested in change, Levi should be looking for work completely opposite his wheelhouse. For instance, here, he could have been cast instead as villain Devnan, with Bert replaced by Devnan’s present player: “Ambulance’s” Garret Dillahunt. I have no doubt Dillahunt would have made a stronger protagonist; and, had Zach started overacting, it could’ve been construed as psychopathy and inspired some genuine viewer apathy.
Zachary Levi may never have the opportunity to engage with unfeigned material if he continues to substantiate his typecasting as scoundrel & goof.
//wd 11.22.2025
Being a Kingdom Story Company production, Sarah’s Oil is a filed-down drama about the American South with a sprinkling of faith and a happy ending. Desir-Johnson is an effective child lead and, despite its schmaltz & predictability, the movie serves its purpose. It’s a 2.5 out of 5.
Poster sourced from impawards.com. Screenshot author-obtained from the official trailer.
theory of a daskeman 