Mason Thames
Benj Nielsen
Overview
Their first week of high school. The biggest party of the year. Mistakes will be made as four teenage boys navigate a night of mayhem and debauchery.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
5 min readWhen Adolescence Becomes a Slip-and-Slide
I keep thinking about the way Incoming treats the first week of high school as if it were a natural disaster with hormones. That’s not a complaint. latestnetflix.com's read is that it’s the movie’s basic comic idea, and when it works, it works because it understands how ridiculous teen panic can feel from the inside: every hallway is a test, every party an exam, every casual glance a referendum on your worth.
The Chernin brothers build the night like a series of increasingly bad choices made by kids who are convinced, at each step, that they’re nearly adults. Which is to say: they’re still children, and the movie knows it.
What interested me most, though, is that Incoming isn’t really trying to be a pristine high-school comedy. It’s messier than that, more interested in bodily embarrassment, social misreads, and the kind of macho posturing that collapses the second someone attractive walks into the room. The film arrives in a cultural moment where teen comedies have become oddly rare, especially the unruly, R-rated kind that don’t pretend adolescence is a graceful rite of passage.
Dave and John Chernin, coming out of TV comedy, seem to understand timing more than elegance. They cut for panic. They let silence linger just long enough for humiliation to bloom.
There’s a lineage here, obviously: Superbad hangs over the movie like a disreputable older cousin, and so do the broader anxieties of John Hughes-era teen filmmaking, though Incoming is much less interested in sentimental purity than in the ugly, funny scramble to seem cool. That matters. A lot of high-school movies remember the emotion but sand off the awkwardness.
This one keeps the awkwardness front and center. You can feel the directors trusting the embarrassment to do the work. Sometimes that trust pays off.
Sometimes a joke goes one beat too long, or a subplot feels like it wandered in from another, broader movie. But even then, the film has a pulse.
The best comedy here comes from pressure. Not just sexual pressure, though there’s plenty of that, but social pressure in the most adolescent sense: the fear that one wrong move will freeze you out forever. The four boys at the center of the night are trying to perform versions of themselves before they’ve figured out who they are.
Mason Thames, in particular, has that slightly startled, over-alert quality that works well for a character who looks as if he’s trying to improvise a personality in real time. He’s not playing “relatable” in some polished, studio-approved way. He’s playing the body before confidence arrives.
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsInside Incoming (2024): The Raunchy Teen Comedy Shaking Up the High School Party Genre
The high school party movie is a Hollywood staple, but Incoming—the 2024 R-rated comedy from first-time feature directors Dave and John Chernin—aims to flip the script. With a cast of rising young stars and a mission to avoid clichés, the film promises a fresh, unfiltered take on the chaos of adolescence. Here’s what we know about the making of this Gen Z-centric romp.
A Directorial Debut with a Twist
Dave and John Chernin, brothers and longtime collaborators, step behind the camera for the first time with Incoming, marking their feature directorial debuts. The duo, known for their work in television and producing (The Afterparty, Workaholics), bring a sharp, irreverent sensibility to the project. Their goal? To subvert the tired tropes of teen comedies—especially the "big emotional speech" that often wraps up chaotic narratives with a neat bow 
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The Chernins’ approach leans into the messiness of real teenage experiences, prioritizing authenticity over sentimentality. "They set out to circumvent not just teen movie clichés, but also one of the biggest tropes of comedies in general," notes MovieMaker, highlighting their refusal to force a saccharine resolution . The result is a film that feels raw, raunchy, and unapologetically Gen Z.
The Cast: Rising Stars and Unexpected Cameos
Incoming assembles a mix of fresh faces and familiar names, led by Mason Thames (The Black Phone), Ramon Reed, and Raphael Alejandro (Bunk’d). The ensemble also includes Isabella Ferreira (Boogie), Bardia Seiri, and Loren Gray, a social media star turned actress 
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But the real buzz surrounds the supporting cast. Ali Gallo, Scott MacArthur (The Mick), and Thomas Barbusca (The Goldbergs) add comedic heft, while Kim Hawthorne (Greenleaf) rounds out the adult roles. Notably absent from most snippets—but confirmed in the full cast list—are Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Bobby Cannavale (Mr. Robot), whose involvement suggests a stacked roster of talent .
The Chernins’ casting choices reflect their commitment to diversity and relatability. "Four freshmen navigate the terrors of adolescence at their first-ever high school party," teases IMDb, hinting at a story that balances humor with the awkward, cringe-worthy moments of growing up .
A Party Movie for the TikTok Generation
Incoming isn’t just another teen comedy—it’s a deliberate reimagining of the genre for a new era. As Daily Entertainment World puts it, the film "takes one of Hollywood’s oldest coming-of-age formulas—the disastrous first high school party—and updates it for Generation Z" . The Chernins’ script leans into the absurdity and chaos of modern teenage life, from social media mishaps to the pressure of viral moments.
The directors’ refusal to soften the edges of their story is a key selling point. Unlike many teen films that pivot to heartfelt lessons, Incoming embraces its R-rated humor, promising a no-holds-barred look at the highs and lows of adolescence. "They set out to make a teen-party comedy that won’t age badly," MovieMaker reports, suggesting a film that avoids the pitfalls of dated references or forced moralizing .
**What’s Next for Incoming?**
As of now, details about the film’s release strategy remain scarce. While Netflix’s Tudum site has teased the project, no official premiere date or streaming platform has been confirmed . Given the Chernins’ background in television and streaming, a Netflix debut seems plausible, but nothing is set in stone.
What is clear is that Incoming is positioning itself as a must-watch for fans of raunchy, irreverent comedies. With a stacked cast, a fresh directorial vision, and a script that promises to avoid tired clichés, the film could be the next big thing in the teen comedy space—or at least a wild, memorable ride.
For now, audiences will have to wait for more trailers or release details. But if the Chernins’ track record is any indication, Incoming won’t be your average high school party.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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