Two friends have set up a date for brunch, but there is just one little problem. What do they do with the body?
Dead Giveaway
I always enjoy reviewing films sent to me by producer and actress, Suzan Toni Petrongolo, and Suzan has not disappointed me yet. Dead Giveaway is a 2025 comedy-thriller written, produced, and directed by Ian Kimble. The film stars Ruby Modine, Mikaela Hoover, Suzann Toni Petrongolo, Scout Taylor-Compton, Andrew Vogel, Jeremy Feight, Buddy Caine, Jessie Allen Hitner, and begins with the discovery of a dead body in one of the most enjoyable iconic women duos since Laverne and Shirley or Thelma and Louise.
Jill (Ruby Modine) who had spent the night partying with her friend, Lia (Mikaela Hoover) wakes up next to a dead body. Jill doesn’t remember anything from the night before, or who the bloodied body is. Afraid to tell her roommate, Sarah (Suzann Toni Petrongolo), Jill and Lia try to dispose of the body (Andrew Vogel) in time to make it to brunch.
The escalating chaos that occurs while Jill and Lia deal with disposing of John Doe amid people arriving at their door looking for their missing friend is laugh-out-loud funny. Does the man tied up in their kitchen have the clues? Will they make it to their scheduled brunch in time? Will we see more films featuring Jill and Lia? Let’s ask the man behind Dead Giveaway, Ian Kimble.
Gilbert: I truly enjoyed this film. What inspired you to make Dead Giveaway?
Ian Kimble: Thanks for checking it out! I’m glad you enjoyed it. My two older sisters were the inspirations for the lead characters, Jill and Lia. They’re the ones that got me into all the cool movies and music I like at an early age, so I owe a lot of my taste to them. From the logistical viewpoint, I wanted to make a movie that was going to be financially reasonable to make, so a single location and only a handful of characters made the most sense. At that point, the challenge is to make the story and characters as fun and interesting as possible within those constraints. Fortunately, I was surrounded by a crew and cast of unbelievably talented people. It made my job really easy.
Gilbert: I loved the bestie theme of the film. Would you ever consider making a series featuring Ruby Modine and Mikaela Hoover as Jill and Lia? I would definitely watch it if you did.
Ian Kimble: Hah! That question has been thrown my way quite a bit, along with sequel speculations. I spent an awfully long time with these characters, and I love them a lot. For now I’m working on a couple of other projects, but who knows down the road what might happen to those ladies!
Gilbert: What genre is your favourite to write and produce, and what are you working on now?
Ian Kimble: I’m kind of a sucker for movies in general. I love them all, so it’s hard to pick which genre I like the most. It kind of flows with the tide. Even in Dead Giveaway, there’s probably a mashup of four or five different genres, so pinning one down is hard. At the moment, I’m working on developing my next feature, which is a crime comedy that takes place at the Jersey Shore. Should be a lot of fun!
Where can people watch Dead Giveaway?
Ian Kimble: It’s available to rent or buy from any major streamer like Apple, YouTube, or Amazon, as well as about a dozen others. We’ll be doing some pop-up screenings here and there as well, so if you want to watch it in a theatre, reach out and we’ll bring it to your town
