36/48
Originally slated for a straight-to-streaming release on Hulu, strong test screenings led Searchlight Pictures to give it a wide theatrical release
Tale
A woman puts her career on hold to become a housewife, but her domestic life soon takes a surreal turn.
Referenced on Saturday Night Live: Jean Smart/Jelly Roll (2024)
“Riding Carousel” Starring Alexander McCabe Written by Alexander McCabe.
Rating – 52: Overall, a very bad movie that feels like it was made for ‘Booktok’; Amy Adams can only do so much, given how dumb the story is, despite its strong messages about the struggles of motherhood
Directing – Very Poor: The direction on a macro scale is too simple and bland, it feels like this movie was made explicitly for ‘Booktok’; the direction on a micro scale is too bland, forced, and simple; the narrative is incredibly simple and bland as it feels like a mother reading this story back to meStory – Bad: The concept is actually pretty dumb, and it’s obvious this movie was made for ‘Booktok’ because the book is a ‘Booktok’ book; not only is the concept dumb, they do a terrible job of introducing it and showing its importance because it feels like just a small detail throughout the movie; the plot structure is very clear and simple; the character writing is very good, although it’s very open-ended because the main character is a symbol of the struggles with motherhood and how it’s okay to not be the perfect motherScript – Very Bad: The dialogue is simple, bland, and written like it’s for ‘Booktok’; the dialogue is so bad that there is literally a scene in the first 20 minutes of the movie where the main character says “I am Nightbitch”; the humor is good, but very forced; the symbolism is profound, as the entire movie is about the struggles of motherhood and accepting that one is not a role model mother or person; the foreshadowing is only there because the movie is so formulaicActing – Very Good: Amy Adams – Good (Her acting is only good because she’s Amy Adams; she has nothing to work with), Scoot McNairy – Very Good (Has really good chemistry with Adams and does a good job showing their one-sided dynamic), Rest of the cast – Decent (A lot of the supporting actors, who are good, mostly support Adams)Cinematography – Decent: AverageEditing – Decent: AverageVisual Effects – Very Bad: Pretty cheesyPacing – The pacing is a bit slow because the narration moves the story forwardClimax – The climax is pretty forcedTone – The tone feels a lot like the movie made for “Booktok”End Notes – Saw premiered at the Austin Film Festival; It’s obvious who this movie is for, I’m clearly not the target audience; this was supposed to be the movie that saved Amy Adams, not destroyed her.
