A colossal disaster of a film.
Stephanie is a single mother with a parenting vlog who befriends Emily, a secretive upper-class woman who has a child at the same elementary school. When Emily goes missing, Stephanie takes it upon herself to investigate.
Having read the book, which too is quite awful I didn’t exactly have high hopes for the film. Although, Anna Kendrick is one of my favourite performers even she failed to set this alight. The script, which vastly differed both in tone and content from its source material had gaping plot holes, and was so over dramatic it felt like an 80s soap opera.
The performances were tolerable, but some talented performers were let down by the atrocity of the script. The cinematography and music were out of place in this melodramatic mystery film and felt more suited to literally anything else. Paul Feig as a director should probably stick to his regular comedies. This is only Jessica Sharzer’s second screenplay, so hopefully she continues to refine her skills to write something tolerable. Andrew Rannells light comic relief character was the most entertaining aspect of this 2hr mess.
Overall one to avoid unless you truly hate yourself.
1 Star
Review by Benjamin Maio Mackay
Screening courtesy of Roadshow Entertainment