A Fistful of Karma (2025) Movie Review: Free-flowing comedy commits to its chaos but fails to induce any laughter

Almost 2 decades down the line after his lesser-known debut feature film “Hotel Splendid” which starred Daniel Craig and Toni Collette as people trying to salvage a health resort, director Terence Gross revisits the narrative with his new film “A Fistful of Karma.” While there are no bickering, competing leads to be found in the mix in the new movie, both of them hinge on the absurdness of the premise and the eccentricity of its characters.

Believe it or not, “A Fistful of Karma. ” is based on a true story and is set in a retreat center in rural Tuscany named “Il Santuario.” Run by a group of odd, zonked-out party animals who are never, ever aware that their self-destructive nature might lead them on the road to economic crisis, the film essentially feels like a stoner comedy but without a single blunt being blazed in plain sight. I’m sure the cast and crew had an amazing time filming this in the beautiful backdrop of rural Italy, but that doesn’t necessarily translate on the screen with the narrative hitting roadblocks all along, failing to conjure up a single whiff of laughter from its ‘situational-comedy-gold’ premise.

Val (Adrian Bouchet) and Xena (Stephanie Siadatan) run Il Santuario. They have hosted many retreats before – although Val from his present state of mind doesn’t feel like he is someone who can host or run anything at all. Xena, on the other hand, has been handling everything—from bringing in more clients to keeping an eye on Val and his crew. This includes Crispy (Dan Hildebrand), a reckless middle-aged man so high on his own supply that he’s lost touch with reality, and IG (Emily Lamey), a sharp but perpetually frustrated girl who is up to no good either.

Now, the film is not just about this group of misfits, it also offers us another round of odd characters in the form of the visitors who have come there for a ‘vegan-yoga retreat’ headed by spiritual guru Malcolm (Oliver Tobias). These are a host of privileged people who, of course, aren’t aligned with the chaos that is about to be unleashed on them. But are the hosts the ones who don’t have everything under control, or is it the guests?

Somewhere there in the midst of all the mambo jumbo, “A Fistful of Karma” has this question hanging over its head. However, director Terence Gross is the least bit bothered to ever explore it. Sans a moment that Crispy shares with one of the guests who has recently lost someone beloved to her, the film is so freewheeling that with every passing minute it just becomes more and more uninteresting. What we get here is a poorly crafted story that divulges one odd scenario after another just so it can make you laugh. However, the actual sin the film commits is being unfunny from start to finish. There’s not a single line of dialogue, or action that leads the viewer to laugh at these bizarre characters or what they are up to.

For good measure, the filmmaker also introduces a meta angle to his film with a documentary crew following and filming everything that goes on in the retreat – up until ‘epiphany’ is achieved. However, since the mockumentary style doesn’t necessarily partake much in the narrative itself, the device is also left hanging as a tool that is not used well. The only time I found myself enjoying the film was when for a brief while, a random musical band plays Val off when he is heartbroken.

Beyond that, there’s nothing in “A Fistful of Karma” that makes it worth recommending.