In the bonus track of the DVD of "Most Likely to Murder," the filmmakers confessed that they made a film that was loosely based on their own memories of high school, based on such character types as the bully, the victim, the dork, the clown, and other generic persona. The protagonist is the high school superstar Billy, who was known as "The King of Valley Stream." But the comedy-murder mystery ultimately exposes Billy for what he truly is, namely, "a creep-freak-weirdo."
The raunchy screenplay has some clever lines and moments, as Billy returns home to Valley Stream after a lackluster stint in Las Vegas as a bathroom attendant. His parents are moving out of the family home in Suffolk County, preparing to relocate to Santa Fe. The homecoming for Billy reunites him with his high school classmates. One character observes that "everyone in town is so quick to change." But, in fact, the former high school kids are no more than adolescents trapped in adult bodies. Nothing has changed.
After Billy had chosen to break off ties with his high school girlfriend, Kara Jade Doblowski, he now seeks a rekindle the past romance. But Kara has now taken up with the high school dork, Lowell Bernard Shapiro, who has become the town pharmacist.
It is at this point, that the film makes a wrong turn by trying to recycle the "Ace Ventura" films, turning the narrative into a farcical murder mystery. Billy's attempt to frame Lowell for the murder of his mother never engages, other than to make Billy look more and more ridiculous.
The best part of the script is the depiction of the superficial side of high school with the various students maintaining a facade to hide their own deficiencies and insecurities. The superstar Billy is unmasked as a phony in one of the most poignant moments when he is thumbing threw his belongings and comes across a stack of Cliffs Notes. Like the other kids, Billy never grew up, and, in his case, never even took school seriously. And the way he cut corners comes into focus when he makes the admission, "I have two copies of 'Death of a Salesman' Cliffs Notes!"
The raunchy screenplay has some clever lines and moments, as Billy returns home to Valley Stream after a lackluster stint in Las Vegas as a bathroom attendant. His parents are moving out of the family home in Suffolk County, preparing to relocate to Santa Fe. The homecoming for Billy reunites him with his high school classmates. One character observes that "everyone in town is so quick to change." But, in fact, the former high school kids are no more than adolescents trapped in adult bodies. Nothing has changed.
After Billy had chosen to break off ties with his high school girlfriend, Kara Jade Doblowski, he now seeks a rekindle the past romance. But Kara has now taken up with the high school dork, Lowell Bernard Shapiro, who has become the town pharmacist.
It is at this point, that the film makes a wrong turn by trying to recycle the "Ace Ventura" films, turning the narrative into a farcical murder mystery. Billy's attempt to frame Lowell for the murder of his mother never engages, other than to make Billy look more and more ridiculous.
The best part of the script is the depiction of the superficial side of high school with the various students maintaining a facade to hide their own deficiencies and insecurities. The superstar Billy is unmasked as a phony in one of the most poignant moments when he is thumbing threw his belongings and comes across a stack of Cliffs Notes. Like the other kids, Billy never grew up, and, in his case, never even took school seriously. And the way he cut corners comes into focus when he makes the admission, "I have two copies of 'Death of a Salesman' Cliffs Notes!"