Shithouse

The actors in "Shithouse" did a good job with what they had. That's the best I can say.

This is a tired old story: Boy falls in love, girl with father issues won't let him get close, eventually they get together again. It might appeal to millennials navigating their first heartbreaks, but for an old curmudgeon who's run that gauntlet: BTDT.

What is interesting about the film, though, is how it demonstrates a fundamental truth about human behavior. From a long life of mistakes and observation, I've developed a theory: people tell you exactly who they are right up front. We just aren't listening because humans really suck at listening.

"Shithouse" puts this behavior on full display in the first act. She explicitly tells him her boyfriend dumped her because she always cheated on him. And the idiot protagonist still wanted to be with her. So of course he got his heart punched out. He wasn't listening. The signs were there from the beginning, neon-bright and impossible to miss—if he'd only paid attention.

Seriously, next time you meet someone new, listen like a detective. They will tell you who they are in the very first conversation.