ReelBob: ‘Too Late’ ★★★½

A show biz satire that offers some tasty morsels about the cost of success and the courage needed to stand up to your monstrous boss.

There’s an exchange between Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder in “The Producers” as they debate what to do after the musical they produced that is supposed to flop becomes a hit.

Mostel’s Max Bialystock says to Wilder’s Leo Bloom that maybe we should kill all the actors.

Bloom objects, telling Bialystock that actors are people, to which Bialystock says, Really, have you ever seen actors eat?

In “Too Late,” one actor does eat. His name is Bob Devore and he is a famous comedian and host of the variety show, “Too Late.”

Devore also is a monster — literally, not figuratively. Getting him fed during the dark of the moon is the job of his sad and suffering assistant, Violet Fields (Alyssa Limperis), who, when necessary, books an act with little or no talent to sate Devore’s appetite.

“Too Late,” written by Tom Becker and directed by D.W. Thomas, is a horror-comedy that examines the underbelly of show biz and satirizes its dog-eat-dog aspects.

Devore (Ron Lynch) typifies that adage. He is a bully who rules his limited domain with fear. And Violet is his punching bag.

She does whatever Devore needs her to do out of fear and with a thirst for survival.

You feel for Violet; her self-esteem is diminished; she hates her job and, more importantly, herself for being so weak and so fearful of defying Devore.

Violet has no personal life because she always is at Devore’s beck and call. Despite her friends imploring her to Her quit, Violet refuses to leave her nasty boss.

“Too Late” can be taken as a show business metaphor. Throughout we see that only the strong and ruthless survive and succeed, with Devore himself being a symbol of star power gobbling up the competition.

At one point defends his dining choices by telling Violet, “Comedians aren’t really people.”

He later tells her that show biz is comprised of two types of people, “the eaters and the eaten.”

At a smidge under 80 minutes, “Too Late” keeps you guessing who will be Devore’s next meal.

Violet, meanwhile, tries to keep her boss away from Jimmy Rhodes (Will Weldon), a young, up-and-coming comic, who she grows fond of after he begins chipping away at her defenses.

When Devore meets Jimmy, he recognizes his talent and tries to seduce him into becoming a monster such as himself.

Where Becker and Thomas, who are married, succeed is in not revealing what kind of monster Devore really is. All we learn is that he has lived for centuries and gobbles up people — and their talent — whole.

We don’t need specifics because we know that he is a human monster preying on the flesh and soul of those weaker than himself.

“Too Late” is a witty spoof that is quirky and delectable I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.

TOO LATE
3½ stars out of 4
Not rated, language, disturbing images