Chili Finger- 2026 Chicago Critics Festival
May 1st, 2026
MOVIE: CHILI FINGER– 2026 CHICAGO CRITICS FILM FESTIVAL
STARRING: JUDY GREER, BRYAN CRANSTON, JOHN GOODMAN, SEAN ASTIN
DIRECTED BY: EDD BENDA, STEPHEN HELSTAD
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: R
RUN TIME: 100 MINUTES
If your film draws inspiration from the Coen brothers, there may be no better cinematic influence to chase, though it also leaves you vulnerable to accusations of imitation or a lack of originality. So when early reviews described director Edd Benda and Stephen Helstad’s Chili Finger as a “Midwestern version” of Raising Arizona, I had to see whether it could live up to the comparison. To my surprise, Chili Finger fits comfortably alongside the kinds of movies Joel and Ethan Coen would admire, telling a story seemingly ripped from the headlines while uncovering that strange humanity around every corner of life. The result is a perfect serving of the wild reality show we call America.
The story follows husband and wife Ron (Sean Astin) and Jess (Judy Greer), who are preparing to become empty nesters as their daughter Kris (Shaya Harris) leaves for college. They promise to visit constantly and eagerly await parents’ weekend, but for now, they must return to the quiet routines of everyday life. That includes more meals together, until Jess discovers a severed finger in her chili at Blake Juniors fast food. The thought alone is horrifying, but when COO Blake Jr. II (Madeline Wise) attempts to buy Jess’ silence and contain the PR disaster, Jess quickly realizes just how much money she might be able to squeeze out before the fast-food empire fights back.
Finding a body part in your food would already make for an outrageous premise, but Benda and Helstad truly ignite the film by continuously throwing combustible characters into the mix. John Goodman arrives as Blake Sr., the hard-nosed CEO determined to figure out how this could happen under his watch, and he assigns his best friend and personal enforcer, Dave (a scene-stealing Bryan Cranston), to keep Jess quiet. With every new personality introduced, Chili Finger grows increasingly unpredictable, playing as an episode of Jerry Springer filtered through a fast-food nightmare.
What makes Chili Finger work so well is that the performances never wink at the audience. The cast plays everything completely straight, grounding the absurdity in recognizable human frustration. Greer, in particular, delivers some of the best work of her career as a woman who recognizes the leverage she suddenly has and grows increasingly tired of life’s limitations. Helstad’s sharp script perfectly captures a simple Midwestern sensibility, especially in Ron’s unwavering love for Blake Juniors, which hilariously complicates the situation. They want compensation, sure, but not at the expense of losing the freedom to hit the drive-thru.
Comparisons to the Coen brothers are inevitable, given the film’s blend of absurd real-life circumstances and eccentric larger-than-life characters. Yet Benda and Helstad carve out their own identity by resisting the urge to push everything into cartoonish extremes. Instead, they tell the story with a straight face and trust the audience to enjoy the escalating madness for what it is. Chili Finger is a deliciously chaotic piece of filmmaking, and exactly the kind of movie I eat up- just leave the severed fingers out of it.
3 ½ STARS
CHILI FINGER IS CURRENTLY PLAYING IN FILM FESTIVALS AND LOOKING FOR DISTRIBUTION.
Written by: Leo Brady
