directed by Paul Feig
Neo-noir that looks good but mixes in just a little too much comedy for my taste.
I didn't identify with any of the main characters but that's ok. None of the characters are all that sympathetic. If you are looking for a movie with well defined heroes, or in this case heroines, this movie lacks those. Or perhaps I am being a tad judgmental. You would have to see the film for yourself.
This film is set in suburban Connecticut. Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) is playing the role in this film that would normally be played by a man in a traditional film noir-the easy going seemingly not too bright fellow who gets pulled into a dangerous world by a sultry leggy blonde with a hidden past.
No, Stephanie's interest in Emily is more aspirational than erotic. The two women, both mothers, (Stephanie is a widow who lives off her life insurance proceeds and runs a vlog on mothering and lifestyle tips) meet when their young sons want to have a playdate.
The two women are very different. Stephanie is boiling over with repressed sexual desire. She handles this by working on her vlog and volunteering for absolutely everything at her son's school, something that other parents mock her for both behind her back and to her face. She buys her clothes from Target.
Emily appears to be a woman who doesn't repress anything. Often braless and utterly unconcerned about cursing in front of her son, Emily feels that confrontation, sex, and refusal to ever apologize are the best tools for women to get what they want. The PR director for an up and coming NYC fashion designer, Emily is always dressed to the nines, sipping a martini, and sharing some intimate details.
Emily has a life size nude portrait of herself in her home. Emily is married to Sean (Henry Golding). The English born Sean was once the next big writer du jour, but that was almost a decade ago. Since then he's just been a college English professor. Sean may earn less than Emily. Emily is not shy about tweaking her husband about his relative lack of success.
Emily requests this favor so often that other parents think that Stephanie is doing unpaid nanny work. But things go sideways when one day Emily doesn't show up to retrieve her son.
The movie's focus and mood shifts. We've seen that Stephanie has her own secrets. Stephanie searches for Emily's secrets to see if she can solve the mystery of what happened to her friend. Kendrick has more screen time than Lively and makes good use of it. She goes back and forth among a myriad of different interpretations of her character. Is Stephanie really just a sweet naive widow or is she a hustler on the make? Is Stephanie trying to get more likes and mentions for her vlog? When faced with danger Stephanie is often self-assured; some of this is shown to be influence from Emily. Emily dislikes having her picture taken. Her smile, oft employed for sex appeal, can also be a mask.
I thought that film's final portion had too many twists, kinks and convoluted storylines. Feig plays some things for laughs that I didn't think were very funny. Of course YMMV. If you want to see actresses in dramatic lead roles this could be a decent watch. You may enjoy putting together the clues. I am sure that jokes and name dropping about women's shoes and clothing went over my head. There is some modest violence and some cleavage.
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