Micro Budget Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

Micro Budget Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 12, 2026

Co-writer/director Morgan Evans goes the mockumentary route with “Micro Budget,” which examines the troubled production of a low-budget disaster movie inside a Los Angeles rental home. Humor is the star here, with Evans overseeing a troupe of actors trying to find the funny with filmmaking setbacks and personality conflicts. There’s not a lot to the endeavor beyond riffing and increasing woes for the characters, but Evans tries to maintain a sense of humor throughout the feature, which really isn’t hilarious, but consistently amusing, following small issues of incompetence that snowball into larger displays of stupidity, providing a chance for the talent to find their way around awkwardness and the messiness of production mishaps. “Micro Budget” certainly has its moments, though the endeavor could definitely cut a little deeper with its comedy and interest in the difficulty of moviemaking, especially when a complete idiot is calling the shots.

Terry (Patrick Noth, who co-scripts) is a man from Iowa with a dream to make a movie before his pregnant wife, Erica (Emilea Wilson), gives birth. Renting a house in Los Angeles, Terry has a plan to shoot “Untitled Meteor Movie” inside the dwelling with a small cast and crew, believing in the power of his idea to create an epic film that will launch his career and make him a ton of money. Trouble is, Terry has no idea how to direct, commencing a long week of issues as his bad ideas increase, putting pressure on assistant director Chris (Jon Gabrus) to make sense of the madness as they piece together a terrible picture. Terry is also distracted by his attraction to lead actress Jenny (Nichole Sakura), while Erica cleans up his messes, and the production team battles the helmer’s moronic ideas, trying to go along with insanity as disruptions and delays routinely occur.

“Untitled Meteor Movie” is meant to be Terry’s big ticket to Hollywood glory, even electing to move from Iowa to make sure the project was created in California. He’s hired a crew to support his vison, with a cinematographer and sound guy there to help bring the endeavor to life, and actors are present to tackle their parts, as Jenny is joined by Gary (Brandon Micheal Hall) and Phil (Jordan Rock), while Erica also takes a supporting role in the feature. There’s a plan for magic, and “Micro Budget” follows the making of offering, with Terry trusting in his greatness, even hiring a cameraman to follow his every move for the project’s eventual physical release, certain a fantastic documentary will be made out of the adventure. Difficulties are immediately encountered, with Terry unable to stay on schedule even on the first day of production, and he insists on shooting the movie in order, despite understanding the ridiculousness of this demand, immediately destroying any possible momentum.

Comedy comes from Terry’s ineptitude, with “Micro Budget” tracking his horrible decisions and obvious personal interest in Jenny, attempting to flatter the actress while Erica is about to give birth, laboring around the house doing menial tasks, also acting in “Untitled Meteor Movie.” Terry makes the cast live in the house together, trying to help with chemistry and save cash, and his budget-cutting ways are also a source of humor in the picture, extending to craft services manager Jasmine (Carla Jimenez), who can only offer crappy sandwiches and nearly expired food to the cast and crew. Terry talks himself into trouble on multiple occasions, worsening his situation as he comments on racial inclusion, but bigger laughs tend to involve others in “Micro Budget,” including Rick (Bobby Moynihan), the visual effects supervisor on the project whose previous experience was making bowling alley scoring screen animation.

Micro Budget Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The image presentation for "Micro Budget" deals with a small-scale production, while the story mostly takes place inside a single location. Detail handles acceptably, with the brightly lit feature offering a good look at skin particulars on the cast, along with fibrous outfits. Housing interiors are dimensional, with a textured look at decorative additions and camera equipment. Exteriors are limited but decently dimensional. Color is sharp, with bright whites on household tours and defined primaries on style choices. Greenery is exact, and skin tones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Encoding has limitations, with blockier backgrounds at times. Banding is also present.

Micro Budget Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 Dolby Digital mix offers a straightforward understanding of dialogue exchanges, which remain crisp while dealing with a variety of actors and performance choices. Scoring is sparingly used, but instrumentation is defined. Surrounds aren't robustly engaged for the largely frontal listening event, and low-end isn't challenged.

Micro Budget Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet contains an intro by Mike Cheslik, a director and cast Q&A, and an article by Jonthan Michael Mahoney.

• Commentary features co-writer/director Morgan Evans and actors Jon Gabrus, Mike Mitchell, Patrick Noth, and Emilea Wilson.

• "Extras Reel" (51:09, HD) is a collection of footage from the making of "Micro Budget." There are bloopers catching the cast in giggle fits, and 30 minutes of alternate takes and improvisation. Maria Bamford receives a special unbroken moment of comedic craziness. Patrick Noth is forced to endure the consumption of many "wet tuna sandwiches" as a long scene plays out. Noth and Bobby Moynihan are provided with an improvisation challenge as they view a terrible visual effects reel together. And the "full version" of the meteor VFX is provided.

• Behind the Scenes (30:02, HD) is an intentionally low-fi examination of the production experience on "Micro Budget." The journey begins in 2023, with director Morgan Evans sneaking off to retrieve an energy drink before the day begins. Cameras offer a fly-on-the-wall examination of the creative effort, meeting cast and crew members along the way. The team is working inside the tight confines of a house, and it's interesting to see how compact the whole situation is. Camaraderie is also highlighted, with the comedy vibe of the shoot extending to various conversation and play time for the camera. While silliness is emphasized, this is a compelling understanding of the moviemaking process.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:03, HD) is included.

Micro Budget Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Micro Budget" is actually micro-budgeted, never leaving the rental home, but Evans generates a milder sense of madness to the picture, playing around with production issues such as bad sound and product placement. A pervy intimacy coordinator causes more trouble for "Untitled Meteor Movie," and homeowner Toby (Chris Parnell), stops by to check on his property, horrified by what's going on, eventually collecting a supporting part for his girlfriend (as always, a wonderfully daffy Maria Bamford) to placate him. Evans has some good ideas for mischief and inanity, but "Micro Budget" never becomes the gut-buster one wants it to be. It plays a little too timidly at times, and several comedic situations simply never catch fire, leading to a few dead spots. However, the feature has periodic scenes of hilarity and a general air of playfulness, making fun of the filmmaking process and the fragility of a middle-aged midwestern man with a dream, which happens to be avoiding adult responsibilities for as long as possible.