1 star out of 5
I do not care to be played for a fool.
First, on Sunday, Moviepass told me I could go see this film at my local cinema as part of my pre-paid plan. Except, when I got to the theater on Monday afternoon, the movie had mysteriously vanished from the app. Poof! So instead of being free, the ticket cost me $12.50. I hate you, Moviepass.
Then there’s the matter of the trailer for this movie. It led me to believe the film was a taut thriller “from the dark side of director Paul Feig.” I truly enjoy a good suspense yarn, and I generally like Paul Feig. Despite his penchant for directing garbage comedies in recent years, he did create Freaks & Geeks, and I have fresh love for Feig after his involvement in the delightful Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale. So, I was excited to see this movie.
Except it is also garbage.
Right from the start I was on guard, as French yé-yé pop played over the opening credits. So instead of setting the mood for an intense dramatic story, it seemed they were going more for frothy fun. OK, OK, that could work. I’m flexible.
And Anna Kendrick wouldn’t steer me wrong, would she? She’s wonderful in this, giving a pitch-perfect comedic performance. Kendrick plays Stephanie, a goody-two-shoes supermom whose over-involvement at the nice suburban elementary school is cattily commented on by a Greek chorus. (Andrew Rannells gets the best bits). She meets Emily, a bad-girl, not-at-all-involved-at-school, ultra-stylish mom portrayed by lively Blake Lively. Stephanie falls under the spell of her new friend, trying to keep up with her, and she doesn’t know if she can do it. Oh no, I’ve said too much. I haven’t said enough!
Then Emily… vanishes. Poof! This is where the thriller aspect is supposed to kick in. Stephanie goes all Nancy Drew trying to track down her pal, also getting help from the viewers of her increasingly viral mommy vlog. (We get it, Feig, streaming video has buffering issues.) And, despite not really being the movie I was promised, I was still enjoying it. Like, 3.5 stars.
But the writers insist on piling plot on top of plot on top of plot, and Feig, instead of presenting realistic characters, betrays his own comedy background by giving us cartoonish caricatures. The movie just keeps getting more absurd, worse and worse, as I enjoyed it less and less. Blah. Do yourself a simple favor and just don’t.
Jack Silbert, curator