The Little Hours (2017)

What makes The Little Hours such a treat is its deliciously wrong-headed collision of a 14th-century convent setting with the kind of blunt, modern-day banter that feels like it shouldn’t work—until it absolutely does. Jeff Baena stages the whole thing like a medieval farce with a wicked grin, letting the comedy bloom from deadpan deliveries, escalating misunderstandings, and a sense that everyone is one bad decision away from chaos. Alison Brie, Dave Franco, and Kate Micucci (along with a game ensemble) play it with straight-faced commitment, which only makes the ribald absurdity sharper and funnier. It’s irreverent to its bones—so if you want piety and restraint, look elsewhere—but if you’re in the mood for a clever, profane romp that laughs at human hypocrisy across the centuries, this one’s a blast.

The Little Hours is aiming for a cheeky, modern, sex-farce spin on medieval convent life, powered by a talented cast and a deliberately anachronistic vibe. The problem is it often plays like a string of sketches rather than a story, with a thin plot that meanders until a finale that feels rushed and oddly weightless. The humor leans crude and repetitive, so if you don’t click with that specific brand of deadpan vulgarity, it can feel less “naughty comedy” and more “why am I still watching this?” That said, there are a few sharp performances and moments of absurdity that land—just don’t go in expecting a tight narrative or consistently funny payoff.