Promising Young Woman is a 2020 American black comedy thriller film written and directed by Emerald Fennell in her directorial debut. It stars Carrie Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge and co-stars Laverne Cox and Connie Britton.
This film follows Cassie Thomas (Mulligan), a 30 year old medical school drop out who lives with her parents in Ohio. Years before, her classmate Al Monroe raped her best friend Nina Fisher and the school’s legal team dropped the investigation, leading her to commit suicide. Cassie then starts spending her nights at clubs, letting men take her to their houses and revealing her soberness when they take advantage of her.
At the coffee shop she works at, she gets asked out by a former classmate Ryan Cooper (Burnham). On their first date he tells her Al is getting married. Cassie then plans a revenge on the ones responsible for Nina’s rape. She meets Madison McPhee (Brie) for lunch, an old friend who doesn’t believe Nina was raped. Cassie then gets her drunk and hires a man to take her to a hotel room. The next day Cassie listens to several voicemails from a very upset Madison, who doesn’t remember what happened. Cassie goes to Elizabeth Walker (Britton), the dean who dismissed the case of Nina’s sexual assault due to lack of evidence.
After Madison confronts Cassie in front of her house, wanting badly to know what happened after that lunch. Cassie tells her nothing happened. Madison gives her an old phone containing a video of Nina’s rape before threatening her to never contact her again. Cassie sees Ryan on the video. She confronts him and threatens to release the video if he doesn’t tell her where Al’s bachelor party is going down. Ryan tells her and begs for her forgiveness, but Cassie turns him down. She disguises herself and goes to party to try and seek revenge on Al.
This film is definitely a #MeToo rape revenge film that is very dark and disturbing, at times too much. Although this film may be relatable for those that have been through sexual assault or those that know someone who has, it still manages to be entertaining. I don’t know why this is also called a dark comedy, because I saw no humor whatsoever. Severe violence to another person is not funny at all and if you have a weak stomach, I don’t recommend you watch this movie. It has a feel similar to 2005’s Hard Candy and 1976’s Carrie. Some might call this a feminist film, big payback’s a b*tch type as well and it is both. It’s a movie showing that women are not sexual toys to be taken advantage of, that there are some terrible in the world and how many legal cases get dropped when they shouldn’t.
Carrie Mulligan is outstanding as Cassie Thomas, giving us just enough brain, fake hooker, flirtatiousness and bad*ss revenge seeker. This is definitely one of, if not her best role to date. This role was tailor-made for her, although her character is pretty similar Suicide Squad’s Harley Quinn. Margot Robbie could’ve played this role, but not as seriously as Mulligan. Bo Burnham is fantastic as Ryan Cooper, Cassie’s short time boyfriend and eventual enemy. He tries the whole time he and Cassie are together to cover up the Nina Case and does a great job until Madison reveals the truth.
Alison Brie, who in my opinion, isn’t always the best actress, did an excellent job as Madison McPhee. She portrays the new mother and angry ex-friend with such feeling, you forget Brie started out on a sitcom, because she is not the adorable naive and bubbly girl anymore, she’s a serious woman with bite and fight. Connie Britton is good, not great as Dean Elizabeth Walker. Maybe that’s because her part is small. To me, she needed to be more in the film, as she is an important character. Clancy Brown and Jennifer Coolidge are just good, nothing fantastic, in their roles as Cassie’s parents. They too, needed bigger roles, as they are equally important as well.
Overall, this film is wild, disturbing and wicked. It is very entertaining, except the violence is a bit over the top. Not for anyone who can’t handle lots of gore and brutality. But if you’re a fan of thrillers or a fan of the film Carrie, (either version), you’ll definitely enjoy this film. Adults Only. 4/5
Music is a 2021 American musical drama film directed by singer-songwriter Sia. It stars Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr. and Maddie Ziegler and is Sia’s directorial debut. The movie follows Zu, a freshly sober drug dealer who becomes the sole gaurdian of her half-sister Music, a teenage non-verbal autistic girl.
When I first read about Sia making this film, I was excited, as I am on the autistic spectrum myself. I also love Sia’s music and was eager to this movie. After reading and hearing all the controversy, I was still willing to give it a try, so I tried to watch with an open mind. There are very few good things about this film and lots of bad. I applaud the music, the choreography and Sia for her idea, but the idea wasn’t executed well at all. It is supposed to shine a light on autism and instead does not. It stereotypes and shows scenes that are actually harmful to autistic people, like the restraint scene and the flashing lights and loud music, that would cause an autistic to have either a meltdown, panic attack or seizures. The fact the main character is unaffected by the brightness and loudness is the complete opposite of a person on the spectrum.
This film doesn’t educate neurotypicals (as they’re called in the autism world) about autism (particularly non-verbal), it instead paints a world with a combination of stereotyping and falseness. Yes, all people on the spectrum are different, but this like a picture painted by someone who knows very little about the disabilities. I know the actors and actresses were just doing as they were told to, so no fault to them. This is all on Sia and screenwriter Dallas Clayton, who created what they thought would be a masterpiece, but instead it is just a horrible piece that should’ve never been filmed in the first place. The mere fact that Sia worked with Autism Speaks, a charity trying to cure autism, is bad too, as there is no cure.
Kate Hudson does a good job in her role as Zu. Leslie Odom Jr. is the stereotypical gay African American, but is just okay in his part. Maddie Ziegler does mediocre in the title role, but I believe that isn’t necessarily because she’s not autistic, but because she needs more experience at just acting alone, instead of dancing and acting combined like she normally does. She was just going by what she saw in videos and movies and tried to reenact what she saw.
So many people criticize Sia for not casting an autisic actor or actress for the lead part, and although it would’ve made it more realistic if she had, non-disabled people can play disabled characters like Leonardo DiCaprio in What;s Eating Gilbert Grape, Daniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot, it has to be done right like these films. Research has to be done extensively and I believe both Sia and Dallas Clayton did very little of.
Overall, I loved the music and the parts of the story, but didn’t really enjoy this movie. I was mostly bored, confused and offended throughout watching. I wanted to like it and prove people wrong about the controversy, but hated for the most part. I now get the criticism, the disgust and hatred towards this film. All the good reviews are mostly from neurotypicals who don’t know much about the autistic spectrum, if at all, they just see the art of the film, not the story, cinematography and art combined.
Whether you’re on the spectrum, have another disability(ies), or not, do not bother watching this film. It is offensive to the max and boring, even the song and dance scenes are mediocre at best. Sia should be ashamed of this piece she calls art. It’s not art, it’s garbage. I don’t know how anyone can like this movie or even make it through the first 20-30 minutes without being appalled. This is a cringe-worthy pile junk that just seems thrown together fast and called a motion picture. Nothing carefully curated to be the least bit realistic. Wow! Just Wow! 13+ 1.5
Sabrina is a 1954 American romantic comedy drama film directed by Billy Wilder. It stars Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn and William Holden. The film follows Sabrina Fairchild, the young daughter of Larrabee family’s chauffeur, Thomas, who has been in love with David Larrabee all her life. David has been divorced three times and is playboy, who has never paid attention to Sabrina because she was still very much a child to him. After returning home from Paris, Linus, David’s older brother takes interest in her and soon David does too after finding her much more grown up being away. After seeing David trying to seduce yet another woman, Sabrina becomes upset and writes a suicide note for her father, starts every car in the garage, to kill herself, but is stopped by Linus and taken back her place above the garage in one scene.
This film is filled with humor, romance and drama. Sabrina loves David though he is a womanizer, she sees him as more. He has mostly ignored her, calling her a child. After she comes back from Paris for culinary school, she is much more mature and David takes notice, as does his brother Linus, who runs the family business and hoping for David to merry heiress for an important merger to happen. Both brothers fight over Sabrina, until Sabrina falls in love with one of them and the other finds another lady to marry.
This film is also heartwarming, heartbreaking at times and dramatic when it needs to be. It has the right amount of all this. A girl becomes a lady and suddenly men are swooning for her, because at first she is seen as immature. Linus pretends to accompany Sabrina back to Paris but not join her, Sabrina agrees to leave the next day never come come. Eventually she does when she realizes who she is in love with and doesn’t like the thought of being without him.
Audrey Hepburn is fantastic in this movie (at 24 years of age), William Holden, despite being 35 years old and Humphrey Bogart, 53, they are equally outstanding. The three of them, despite the age differences, were absolutely perfect together, bringing both drama and passion, making it not too mushy gushy, cheesy, or theatrical like many romantic comedy dramas, old and new or newer.
This is a wonderful film from start to finish. There is no sex or nudity, just some mild kissing. There is mild violence and an attempted suicide, no profanity, some drinking and smoking and some mild sexual innuendo and flirtation, but nothing over the top. This film would be better suited to teenagers then young children, who might find the fighting frightening. This a film with heart and depth, masterpiece throughout and not a single moment is dull. The dresses Audrey wears are absolutely beautiful, the story is great, the acting is superb, the cinematography is stunning. Everything about this movie is one hundred percent perfect. I lovely work of art that demands to be seen at least once your life. 13+ 5/5
Working Girl is a 1988 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and stars Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver and Melanie Griffith. The film follows Tess McGill, a working class girl from Staten Island with a bachelor’s degree in business. She works as a stockbroker’s secretary, aspiring to be an executive. Tess, despite being smart, is treated like floozie by her male coworkers and her boss.
This film is one about female empowerment, rising above mistreatment and standing up for yourself. It’s a Cinderella, only instead of this “Cinderella” waiting around for someone to save her, she saves herself and proves she is a strong, independent, smart woman. She finds love in an unexpected place, after quitting the job as a secretary and beginning a job at a radio station. She goes through many ups and downs until finds her true calling as her own boss with her own secretary, but she is no ordinary boss, she is one that treats all workers at her company with the respect and friendliness they deserve.
This film is inspiring in the way it shows you how to not give up, believe in yourself, stand up for yourself (and others), not let others bring you down and to work hard to achieve your dreams. It shows how to stop taking “No” as an answer and how hard work, self determination and being yourself can help you get further in life. It also shows that sometimes you have to take what you really don’t want to get what you really want. You have to start from the bottom and work your way up.
This film shows that love and success can come at unexpected times. This is a film filled with inspiration, drama, a bit of comedy and heart. The acting is superb from all of it’s leading stars. The character of Tess McGill was created so fantastically with her overdone teased up big hair, her short skirts, hose, sneakers and socks to her professional look of blazers, skirts and slacks. She is a character that has gone down as being one of the most iconic in film history and not just for fashion but her personality and being a feminist icon that females today can be inspired by her.
This is one of the best 80’s films of I’ve seen and possibly one of the best rom-coms of all time. With it’s infamous story of empowerment, fashion and theme song “Let the River Run” by Carly Simon, it is one that can be watched over and over and motivate you to take the good with the bad, not let others bring you down and to never give up. A bit slow at times and some characters aren’t focused on enough, but still this is a great movie with a great message. 18+ 4/5
Tootsie is a 1982 American romantic drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Dustin Hoffman. The story is about a talented but turbulent actor who has a reputation for for being difficult to work with, which forces him to change his character to a woman to land a new job.
This film has absurdity, seriousness, humor and heart. It is a film that surprisingly wasn’t controversial, despite the subject matter, it was actually a box office and critical success and earned lots of award nominations and won several. This film pokes fun at show business agents in New York and soap operas. It also challenges gender and age norms in show business, proving that not just young, attractive people can be successful in the industry, making it all the more funny at times. This movie also makes lighthearted and well intended looks at sexism and how females were (and still are today) treated unfairly.
Dustin Hoffman is outstanding as Michael Dorsey, an out of work actor, Dorothy Michaels, Emily Kimberly, a soap opera actress and Edward Kimberly. The supporting cast are all great as well. This film is filled with clever dialogue and humor and awkward situations. The character of Dorothy Michaels is a much older lady with big glasses but an eye for fashion. Both men and women flirt with Dorothy, which is highly awkward and inappropriate but works perfectly with this perfectly imperfect film.
Although this film has a PG rating, it is far from being worthy of that rating. It fact, it is more PG-13. There is sexual humor and innuendo, kissing and terms referring to sexuality. There is a good bit of foul language throughout the film, including the “F” word as well. There is also smoking and a scene where a joint is passed around and occasional drinking and a drunk character, also a character has a drinking problem. So this movie is not for really young audiences.
This film will have you laughing, get angry and smile. It is one that can be watched over and over and it gets better every time. A truly clever and wonderful motion picture that has to be seen to believed and is a must watch for any movie lover and just person in general. It is a very entertaining and fun, yet heartwarming at times, type of film. Parts are slow, but that doesn’t matter, it is still enjoyable. WONDERFUL! 13+ 5/5
