It's hide and seek, but with murder. And a possible pact with the devil.
Tell me that doesn't immediately sound like fun?
I. What Is It?
This is the story of Grace (Samara Weaving) and Alex (Mark O'Brien). They're getting married. But before Grace can join Alex's family of board-game magnates, she has to play a little game. And she has to survive.II. Samara Weaving is a Star
Weaving has been shining in just about everything she's been in (go and watch The Babysitter (2017), if you don't believe me). This movie rests entirely on her shoulders, and she carries it with aplomb. Grace is fun, and funny, but also a tough-as-nails survivor. Weaving imbues her with vitality. Her screams are shattering, but they always evolve into primal growls. She's scared, but she's also incredibly angry. And that anger fuels her need to survive.
Grace is somewhat of a cipher: the character is underwritten, and the workload falls entirely on Weaving to sell. But she comes to the market with the goods. In fact, Grace isn't a superhero at all: she doesn't have some secret survivalist backstory, or a special gimmick. She's just trying to survive, and does so largely by allowing the Le Domas clan to murder themselves. It's a neat subversion of the Final Girl trope and I appreciated it.
I also appreciated that the film never exploited Weaving: she's a beautiful woman, but the film never stoops to salacious near-nudity or shoe-horned sex. It earns its R-rating with gory silliness and a generous dose of F-bombs peppered throughout, but the film doesn't need boobs or sex. Those things would complicate the ridiculous simplicity of the movie.
Samara Weaving has the chops to lead a feature, and the attitude to tread in genre waters with confidence. It'll be a damn shame if she isn't a mega star in the next few years.
- This movie is a great deal of fun. It doesn't demand much of you except that you strap in and roll with it. At 95 minutes, it won't waste a minute of your time.Grace is somewhat of a cipher: the character is underwritten, and the workload falls entirely on Weaving to sell. But she comes to the market with the goods. In fact, Grace isn't a superhero at all: she doesn't have some secret survivalist backstory, or a special gimmick. She's just trying to survive, and does so largely by allowing the Le Domas clan to murder themselves. It's a neat subversion of the Final Girl trope and I appreciated it.
I also appreciated that the film never exploited Weaving: she's a beautiful woman, but the film never stoops to salacious near-nudity or shoe-horned sex. It earns its R-rating with gory silliness and a generous dose of F-bombs peppered throughout, but the film doesn't need boobs or sex. Those things would complicate the ridiculous simplicity of the movie.
Samara Weaving has the chops to lead a feature, and the attitude to tread in genre waters with confidence. It'll be a damn shame if she isn't a mega star in the next few years.
III. Quick, Nasty Fun
This movie is 95 minutes long. It breezes through its first act, setting up its pieces, and gets right down to the craziness. I respect that. A lot.
The script is crisp and funny. The film is well-shot. The action is straight-forward, and the movie rockets forward at a wonderful pace.
This could very well have devolved into some kind of political hurly burly about the 1 percent, and capitalism and marriage, and blah blah blah. And, ya know, sure: you could read into it. The film litters its landscape with possible ideas and metaphors. But the film doesn't stop long enough for any of those ideas to really get in the way. It's a film wherein the audience can read whatever they want: do you WANT this to be a political statement? It is. Do you WANT this to be silly fun? It is. And as much as I would really love to see the politically burdened version of this film, I was completely content to just enjoy myself watching dumb-ass rich people try to murder each other.
This is a simple premise done simply: it doesn't overcomplicate itself; it doesn't go out of its way to sequel-bait; it knows what lane it's in and it presses its pedal to the floor.
The script is crisp and funny. The film is well-shot. The action is straight-forward, and the movie rockets forward at a wonderful pace.
This could very well have devolved into some kind of political hurly burly about the 1 percent, and capitalism and marriage, and blah blah blah. And, ya know, sure: you could read into it. The film litters its landscape with possible ideas and metaphors. But the film doesn't stop long enough for any of those ideas to really get in the way. It's a film wherein the audience can read whatever they want: do you WANT this to be a political statement? It is. Do you WANT this to be silly fun? It is. And as much as I would really love to see the politically burdened version of this film, I was completely content to just enjoy myself watching dumb-ass rich people try to murder each other.
This is a simple premise done simply: it doesn't overcomplicate itself; it doesn't go out of its way to sequel-bait; it knows what lane it's in and it presses its pedal to the floor.
IV. A Great Ensemble
Weaving is clearly the star, but Adam Brody leads an ensemble of capable character actors that are clearly having a great deal of fun. Brody gets the most dramatic meat to sink his teeth into, and takes to the role well, but the whole family are excellently sketched. Andie MacDowell is the no-nonsense matriarch; Henry Czerny is the patriarch trying desperately to keep the family together; Kristian Bruun is the nit-wit son-in-law; Melanie Scrofano is the drug-addled fuck-up daughter; Nicky Guadagni is the grim-faced aunt trying to keep everything by-the-numbers. Everyone gets a moment to shine and a great deal to play with.
Why You Should See It
- It's an excellent horror-comedy, and is destined for heavy Halloween watch party rotation.
Why You Shouldn't See It
In Conclusion
Miscellany
- The costume designer created 17 different versions of Grace's dress to be distressed in different ways to reflect the night's progression.- During a fight scene, Weaving accidentally struck MacDowell in the face with a prop brick. MacDowell asked for some ice, and continued shooting.
- It has a $6 million budget, and, as of this writing, has made $5 million on its opening weekend. And it hasn't even opened internationally yet. This movie is probably going to be a sleeper hit. I love it when little indie movies strike it big.
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