Bubble & Squeak (2025) ‘Sundance’ Movie Review: An Oddly Endearing Marriage Counseling Session about a Couple on their Honeymoon

“Bubble & Squeak” (2025) is an absurd marriage drama that puts companionship under a microscopic lens. It does that in a script filled with outlandish elements that seem straight out of a children’s book. Imagine a kid letting their imagination run wild and writing down every idea that popped into their head the moment it did. That’s how a lot of its gags sound. The film shows a European officer (Matt Berry) offering his unmistakable Werner Herzog impression and expecting his subordinates to speak only in English as they walk through the forest, looking for a couple accused of smuggling cabbages in a country where they are illegal.

The couple in question, Declan (Himesh Patel) and Delores (Sarah Goldberg) is an oddball duo. Declan is thoroughly analytical and looks at things so clinically that he sucks the life out of them. Delores is full of life and a sense of wonder. She has a childlike enthusiasm unlike Declan, who is eerily stoic about everything in his life. While on their honeymoon, she seeks spontaneity and adventure. But he is only concerned about careful planning. There is an evident disconnect in their life philosophies and the film untangles it into its zany setup.

While in a foreign country, Declan and Delores become outlaws for something as simple as smuggling cabbages. Why cabbages? Because the country they visit is fed up with this vegetable. Once, it was the only thing they could eat to survive. Now, they have made it illegal to consume. The script tries to draw parallels between the country’s relationship with their history with the couple’s relationship with theirs. It hopes to emphasize the need to let go instead of holding on to the past.

Bubble & Squeak (2025) — A still from” Bubble & Squeak” (2025)

There are bits of wisdom peppered throughout the film. Delores wants to seek joy in whichever way possible, but Declan cannot look past the objective reality of the world around him. So, they do not see eye to eye on the bigger picture of their relationship but are still concerned about each other. She lives based on how many days she gets to live while he lives based on how many days he must survive. The film, which takes place over the course of their honeymoon, follows their push-and-pull dynamic guided by the same chasm.

Delores doesn’t want to be bogged down by the behavior expected from her and hopes to be freer than Declan. As a relationship drama, the film offers a handful of insights, scattered throughout its runtime. It shows the couple on a learning curve as a few key realizations make them confront the future of their relationship. Sarah Goldberg’s wistful charm lends a gloomy edge to her spirited character. Himesh Patel, this time in an American accent, remains placid even in the most challenging or exhilarating moments in their journey. Their performances strike a balance as they bring these characters to life.

Goldberg brings so much humanity to her character, who is trying to recover from her past decisions and find a way forward. There are hints of her self-sabotaging behavior underneath her cheerful personality. Himesh’s character is a data-minded nerd, oblivious to the effect of his obsessive behavior. He seems like one of those people who write ‘I read self-help books for pleasure’ in their bio! Although he is benign, he is evidently irritating because of his insistent habit of sharing anything and everything he knows.

Himesh offers a few chuckles through his deadpan performance as a character who feels things but does not understand how to express them. While Declan cannot communicate the matters of his heart, Himesh communicates Declan’s deep concern for Delores even through his committedly blank face. The script has its heart at the right place when it comes to examining their relationship dynamic. It, however, struggles when it comes to making sense of all its elements together.

For a film that hopes to be an extended allegorical tale, “Bubble & Squeak” struggles to maintain its momentum. It is an exhaustive creative affair that overstays its welcome since it insists on stuffing too many things within its one-and-a-half-hour duration. Most of them are self-gratifyingly whimsical. Some of its quips tie into the film’s core themes but many of them are there just for the sake of it.

It hopes to poke fun at a few other aspects as a citizen’s blind commitment to outdated principles or the worldview of Americans. However, when bonded together, they seem like a part of incoherent rambling. There is a genuine talent on display in those moments, especially through Anna Smoronová’s camerawork who interjects the personal narratives with the collective whole. However, much of the film’s potential is squandered by it being repetitive and incoherent.