How To’s John Wilson Finds Brilliance in a Wild Concept With His First Movie — Review

1 week ago 13

Published Jan 24, 2026, 2:10 PM EST

Ross Bonaime is the Senior Film Editor at Collider. He is a Virginia-based critic, writer, and editor who has written about all forms of entertainment for Paste Magazine, Brightest Young Things, Flickchart, The Free Lance-Star, and more. Ross graduated from George Mason University with a focus in communications and journalism and a minor in film and video studies.

Ross is a Tomatometer-approved critic, a member of the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association, and a member of the Critics Choice Association. He has loved movies ever since he saw Cinderella in the theater as a kid, he can quote 10 Things I Hate About You and Wet Hot American Summer from memory, and is fascinated by all things Georges Méliès and Charlie Chaplin.

Airing for three seasons on HBO, How To with John Wilson is easily one of the most brilliant comedies of the 2020s. In the series, the eponymous Wilson would explain something like “How To Cook the Perfect Risotto” or “How To Find a Public Restroom,” and turn it into a comedic adventure of shocking misdirects, hysterically monotone commentary by Wilson, and often, truly moving moments that felt like an ingenious take on the documentary. There’s never been a show quite like How To with John Wilson, and it’s been a shame not having Wilson’s worldview presented on the screen for quite some time.

In the opening scene of The History of Concrete, Wilson's feature debut, he begins by saying that the space between projects is hard, that after making something like How To, it’s difficult to know what the next step might be. Thankfully, that next step for Wilson came in the form of The History of Concrete, which, to be fair, is essentially a feature-length episode of How To with John Wilson. Even though the name of the movie itself is hilarious on its own, Wilson really does present the history of concrete. However, through Wilson’s lens, that also means diving into Hallmark rom-coms, a 3,100-mile race, DMX Christmas music, Chef Boyardee, and the world’s smallest street. Simply put, The History of Concrete is more of Wilson, and that’s always an absolute delight.

What Is 'The History of Concrete' About?

As the name implies, Wilson is, in many ways, actually giving us the history of concrete. As one would expect, this could’ve been an extremely dry recitation of facts, but, wildly, it’ll make you go, “huh, I never thought about concrete that way.” Somehow, it all starts during the writer’s strike, when Wilson took a class about how to make a Hallmark rom-com, and it all spirals from there. For example, a discussion about how New York City uses concrete might lead to him going on a tangent about a group that does a marathon for a month with barely any breaks, or even take him to the set of Marty Supreme. Wilson travels to Rome to get an understanding of early concrete, and later visits Ohio to find the oldest concrete street in the United States. Wilson never just goes from point A to point B, but rather, he constantly sidetracks to find ways to actually make his topic interesting.

But what makes The History of Concrete and Wilson’s approach to filmmaking so tremendous is that this actually works, instead of feeling flippant and all over the place. Going to a Canadian warehouse where Hallmark movies are filmed makes just as much sense in this story as going to a concrete convention, and the way he weaves all these elements together is masterful to watch. Sure, it’s mostly comedy first with Wilson, but the way he crafts the bigger picture actually proves that, as a documentarian, he’s actually kind of a genius.

When Wilson goes to the Hallmark warehouse, he’s told by an employee there that they essentially make the same film over and over again. Similarly, one could argue that Wilson is also just taking the concept of what he did with How To, and doing it yet again in a feature-length film. And that’s not a bad thing, as Wilson’s storytelling skills prove he could make anything interesting (again, the title of this movie is The History of Concrete, and it’s getting a positive score). But it’s also a fine example of how malleable Wilson’s style can be.

'The History of Concrete' Proves John Wilson's Style Works on a Much Larger Scale

Before How To, Wilson also made fantastic shorts, and now, he’s expanded this into his largest format yet. It’s not just longer, it also helps the great moments pay off with a bigger punch. A random joke from halfway through the film gets an uproarious follow-up in the film’s final moments. Ideas can be returned to over and over again, like with the aforementioned marathon, or with a local musician whom Wilson befriends over the course of the film, all of which lead to some of the most surprisingly touching moments of the film. It was wonderful to have Wilson’s aesthetic presented in 30-minute chunks every week, but watching him expand a story into 101 minutes is a whole other level. And that’s part of the beauty of Wilson and The History of Concrete: you never know where it will take you, and that’s part of the fun. Wilson is the anti-Hallmark, in that the format might be by and large the same from project to project, yet the journey he takes you on is impossible to replicate.

While How To would often hit on profound emotional realizations, The History of Concrete never quite gets to the same level as something like “How To Cook the Perfect Risotto” (which is arguably How To’s best episode), it does get relatively close. One such case is when Wilson meets Jack Macco, a man handing out free samples at a liquor store, who he finds out is also the lead singer of a heavy metal band named Nebulus. Wilson returns to Macco several times, and each time, we learn more about this intriguing character, leading to a truly moving revelation about his life near the end. Again, it’s this type of long-term exploration of characters that makes this format such an ideal choice for Wilson’s type of storytelling.

Also, like How To, Wilson touches on his own life at times, but never quite enough. We learn that he rents out apartments to his friends and how those buildings are falling apart, as well as how Wilson owes hundreds of thousands of dollars because of a New York property. Yet The History of Concrete never goes much deeper than that, and it is one of the few missed opportunities here.

But after making one of the best comedies of the decade, The History of Concrete is a delightful direction for Wilson’s work to head down. His humor, style of documentary filmmaking, and moments of profundity are a perfect fit for film. If The History of Concrete proves anything, it’s that Wilson can make a movie about anything and make it absolutely brilliant.

The History of Concrete debuted at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.

Release Date January 22, 2026

Runtime 100 Minutes

Director John Wilson

Pros & Cons

John Wilson's style is perfect for a movie, and it's great to see him work in a larger format.
Wilson's tangents and humor lead to some absolutely hilarious moments.
Wilson also manages to bring touching moments to a movie about concrete.