Adam Scott Trades Sitcom Charm for Political Horror in "The Saviors"

[the following review is spoiler-free]

From Parks and Recreation to Ghosted to Severance, Adam Scott has always been associated with television, and for good reason. From comedy to drama, it seems like he can do it all but audiences are much less accustomed to seeing him as a cinematic leading man. That is slowly beginning to change, with the past year seeing Scott in several prominent film roles like Hokum, The Monkey, and most recently, Kevin Hamedani's The Saviors, a timely political black comedy still looking for a distributor after its premiere at South by Southwest 2026. With all of these new roles, is Adam Scott becoming one of Hollywood's biggest stars nearly three decades into his career?

The Saviors follows Adam Scott and Danielle Deadwyler playing a struggling couple who have recently converted their garage into an Airbnb to make extra money for their upcoming divorce. Among their first guests are a Muslim brother and sister who are more than a little suspicious. But are these feelings of dread actually due to something sinister, or some deep-seeded prejudices? The film also stars the likes of Greg Kinnear, Ron Perlman, and Colleen Camp. In addition to serving as the film's lead, Adam Scott also produced the film with his wife, Naomi Scott.

It's no secret that the United States has been going through a tumultuous political era for quite some time now. A nation that was once seen as a beacon of hope, progress, and opportunity has devolved into the laughing stock of the world due to its continuously regressing politics. With all that being said, The Saviors could not have been released at a better time and told by a better voice.

The Saviors is a film that struggles to be categorized. On one side it's a dark, creepy horror but also a topical black comedy about racial profiling in the United States. Directed by Iranian-American filmmaker, Kevin Hamedani, a story with this delicate and timely of a subject matter could not have been placed in more secure hands. As a director, Hamedani is practically shaking his American audiences by the shoulders, demanding that they re-examine just how progressive they truly are and it makes for some downright shamefully comedic moments.

Adam Scott has historically been a comedic actor, but over the past year we have seen him take a sharp left turn into horror with Osgood Perkins' The Monkey and Damian McCarthy's Hokum. The Saviors seamlessly blends Scott's acting chops in both genres. He has extraordinary chemistry with co-stars Danielle Deadwyler, Theo Rossi, and Nazanin Boniadi.

credit: AV Club

The Saviors relies on its audience to go in completely blind in order to capture the terror the filmmakers intended, so I will refrain from spoilers. However, I do think the twist towards the end could have been much more shocking than it turned out. My biggest concern with this film is its anticlimactic payoff but I'm sure others will disagree.

With all that being said, I can't help but admire director, Kevin Hamedani for making a film that so boldly holds a mirror up to the eyes of its American audience. Now more than ever its important that we uplift marginalized voices while reexamining our own biases.

As of now, The Saviors does not have a theatrical distributor but it will definitely make for a fun group watch upon release so make sure to keep an eye out!