Very solid directorial debut from B.J. Novak (which he wrote as well) also features him in the lead as a podcaster from L.A. who heads down to Texas for the funeral of a girl he briefly dated, whose family believes was his girlfriend. While there, and finding out the deceased’s brother thinks his sister was murdered and is hellbent on finding the killer, Novak gets an idea for a podcast about America and its societal deterioration, using this death and his experience in small-town America as a baseline for his research.  The film follows his character arc from jaded urbanite to someone who is starting to listen to others and opening himself up to unexpected perspectives, with a few slip-ups along the way.  There is a lot of charm to the screenplay and its execution, and plenty of heartfelt moments as well.  The ensemble cast adds a lot of dimension to the film, giving Novak a lot to play off of.  Where the film suffers is when the dialogue gets a little explanatory, and some of the beats are a little too on-the-nose and telegraphed.  The ending is definitely a surprise, and feels like it’s a bit of a jump based on the plot progression, but this is still a very good start to Novak’s future as a filmmaker.