Tucker Ferguson

I went into this movie almost completely blind and I think that was for the better. I found the exposition at the beginning a little odd, the dialogue is very awkward and stilted for the first 20 minutes, I can't tell if it was purposeful, but nevertheless it was quite funny. That was sort of a running theme, I found myself laughing all throughout the movie even when sandwiched in between a one-two punch of gore and body horror. Speaking of, I think this was a really great **horror** movie, almost all of the scares were effective, and it's terrifying in both what you're watching and how familiar it all is. You find yourself wondering if you've ever been in one of those positions yourself. As for the scare factor I will admit I spent a good part covering my eyes and ears, as well as wondering if I needed to step out of the theatre to vomit. I haven't been so viscerally uncomfortable in a long time, so it's safe to say the film does its job. My favorite part was definitely the ending. It really wraps around to be full circle and has a mini-twist that doesn't feel forced in any way. My takeaway at the end was how this idea of a man destroying a woman's life because he finds her attractive and then takes advantage of her is ever so common today. Maybe that's the truly sickening part.

Only watched bc the love of my life Mira Sorvino won an oscar for this, and she's the only watchable thing about it. Woody Allen's writing is so painfully dull and boring. I like the reinterpretation of the Pygmalion myth, and the greek chorus bit was enjoyable, but when its not them or Mira on screen it is just monotonous bleh. Linda Ash is so endearing and it would be much more fun to watch her without Woody Allen's annoying condescending commentary every five seconds, felt like a self-fulfillment fantasy because who in their right mind would sleep with him without being paid, let alone that we're supposed to buy that he's married to HELENA BONHAM-CARTER??

Masterclass in improv and character acting, I felt a little ptsd at some moments because it is so painfully accurate to the world of community theatre, but it was so so clever. Shoutout to Catherine O'Hara's bangs and the greatest line in all of cinema, "I'll always have a place at the Dairy Queen."

*This review may contain spoilers.* I found out about this movie last month and immediately knew I needed to see it. 4 of the greatest actresses of all time (fact) come together in a comedy, it's a recipe for greatness. And as is the case with most female-led films, it has much more than jokes to offer and it is commonly overlooked. This movie captures such a specific time in corporate America; a time when temps still existed, typing was still manual and on paper, and when someone without a college education could grab an office job with very few strings attached. That being said, it's message is the exact opposite, completely timeless. It manages to capture the feeling of a mundane office while still confronting the ways in which we place women at odds with each other. It has its slow moments, but still a must watch in my opinion. Toni Collette will steal the screen in anything she's in, and this is no exception. Lisa is the least present in the group dynamic but we still see her inner world so clearly, and Alanna's character has it all, but it all comes with a drawback. Parker plays an amazing leader in this movie's version of a "mean girl" archetype, however we quickly realize that we've misjudged her just like the film's characters. The only thing she's guilty of, is wanting something better, and that is sort of the thesis statement of the movie. Each character is either desperately clinging to what they have for fear of losing it, or trying so hard to achieve something greater. That being said, these women somehow form a bond in the most unlikely of places. When they are expected to be fighting one another for a seat at the table, they just carve one for themselves. However, they exclude someone else because they're threatened and it ends up leading to their downfall. I wish this movie was talked about more because it is so relevant to the world we're living in now. It gives us the feeling that we've been here a long time and there's always going to be ways to get through that time when you're just sitting, watching the clock.