L-R: Jamar Neighbors, Nelson Franklin, Mike Mitchell, Nick Corirossi, and Armen Weitzman in The Napa Boys. Courtesy of TIFF.
The Napa Boys and its alt-comedy cast brings a cult comedy approach to its spoof of Hollywood’s franchise filmmaking with nonstop sequels in recent years.
The Napa Boys 4: The Sommelier’s Amulet is the “fourth” entry in the fictional franchise about a group of friends whose adventures mix the mystical with the wine-soaked. This time, leader Jack Jr. (Nick Corirossi) convinces his hesitant co-captain Miles Jr. (Armen Weitzman) and the rest of the gang—Stifler’s Brother (Jamar Neighbors), Kevin (Nelson Franklin), and Mitch (Mike Mitchell)—to join him for one last journey. Their path is shaped by the guidance of the mysterious Sommelier (DJ Qualls). They’re also joined by Puck (Sarah Ramos), a bright young podcaster and fan of the Napa Boys graphic novel. Together, the group sets out on a quest that explores friendship, love, loss, adventure, and viticulture.
Going into TIFF, The Napa Boys wasn’t really on my radar. It wasn’t until closer to the festival that I decided to add it to my schedule. I mean, it’s an alt-comedy spoof in the vein of short- or long-running franchises, so of course I had to see it! Plus, knowing Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith were back as Jay and Silent Bob more or less sealed the deal. Now, I’m not sure it needed to be seen on an IMAX screen—and it probably wasn’t filmed in IMAX. Suffice it to say, the screening wasn’t full, and I’m almost certain I saw people walking out. Ah, film festival life.
Corirossi and Weitzman write in their filmmakers’ statement: “The Napa Boys 4: The Sommelier’s Amulet will be known as the first time a film utilized the arbitrary context of an IP franchise for art over commerce.”
This is certainly true because there’s no previous IP about The Napa Boys that I know of. If you’re going in wondering what happened during The Napa Boys 1–3, those films don’t exist. They never did—and never will. The idea that it’s the fourth entry in a long-running franchise is funny in and of itself. Of course, parody films aren’t new: Buster Keaton did them, Mel Brooks famously succeeded with them, and Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer wrote and directed a number of parody films, though much of their work has been critically panned. Not Another Teen Movie famously parodied teen films from the ’80s and ’90s.
What takes place in The Napa Boys is a journey not quite as epic as The Lord of the Rings, but it owes its existence to Alexander Payne’s Sideways. American Pie, too. There are references to other movies, of course, such as City Slickers. But despite being inspired by an IP-obsessed world, I’m not sure what its future holds commercially. It feels more like an art house film and is not the type to contend for Oscars.
At the end of the day, The Napa Boys is an anarchic alt-comedy spoof of franchise films, boasting a cast of alt-comedians. This isn’t to say it’s for everyone, and G‑d only knows how much we need more comedies on the big screen rather than streaming-only releases. It’s a film that would have fit nicely on Adult Swim back in the 2010s—or maybe as an oddity worth checking out on Comedy Central. No clue what the release plans are but time will tell.
DIRECTOR: Nick Corirossi
SCREENWRITERS: Nick Corirossi, Armen Weitzman
CAST: Armen Weitzman, Nick Corirossi, Sarah Ramos, Mike Mitchell, Jamar Neighbors, Chloe Cherry, Vanessa Chester, Nelson Franklin, Paul Rust, David Wain, Beth Dover, with Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, Ivy Wolk, Riki Lindhome, Ray Wise, DJ Qualls, Steve Agee, Chris Aquilino, Greg Worswick, Mike Hanford, Harley Quinn Smith, Natasha Behnam, Nik Dodani, Eve Sigall, Ryan Perez, Jack Allison
The Napa Boys held its world premiere during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival in the Midnight Madness program. Grade: 3.5/5
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