Movie: Promising Young Woman
Stars: 4
Theatre: Hoyts Victoria Gardens
Promising Young Woman is touted as a comedy around the traps.
It's not.
I was just a little bit excited when I saw this was coming out, being a fan of both Carey Mulligan and Emerald Fennell. Mulligan, who I've loved since she was in An Education, and in other great films like The Great Gatsby and Shame, is fantastic in this.
The other thing which drew me to this film was that it was written and directed by Emerald Fennell - who you might ask? Well she used to be Patsy on Call the Midwife and played Camilla Parker-Bowles in The Crown, but she also has writing credits on shows like Killing Eve.
In many ways, Promising Young Woman is more Killing Eve than some light hearted comedy. If I was to put it in genre, it's more a well made light thriller/black comedy. To be perfectly frank, this is a film that a lot of young men should see. The message of the film - don't fuck with women - they'll just fuck you back with the wrath of Hades.
The general story is that of Cassie, who has a bit of a bone to pick. She's known for going out, acting very drunk, then letting some 'nice guy' take her home, only to magically become sober before anything too gnarly happens - generally freaking the guy out entirely, because, you know, he's a nice guy.
Through the film, you get to see Cassie on her mission to avenge the death of her friend in some pretty incredible ways. Exlained over these two hours, you find out what happened to Cassie's friend, and to Cassie, such a promising young woman who was in Medical School. but has dropped out and is living at home with her parents. You find out what is making her so unhinged. And it's great.
Another thing which the film brings into focus is the double standards that we still have around behaviour and blame. It's still there, it has been there for centuries - but with the Me Too movement and general education, more of a spotlight has been put on this (remember that Stanford rapist? The one who let him of with no more than a slap on the wrist, because he had such a future. Yeah, that sort of stuff).
I'll say no more than this about the plot, but I left the movie both fulfilled and rather pleased that Cassie did get heralbeit tragic revenge in the end.
Carey Mulligan is wonderful as the very unhinged Cassie, but she's great in everything she's in. Other notable standouts include Laverne Cox as her boss, Jennifer Coolidge, playing it relatively straight as her mother and Bo Burnham as Neil, a nice guy paediatrician who appears to be an actual nice guy, and not one of the losers who try take her home. You feel a bit sorry for Neil.
Fennell's direction is great too, mixing pastiche, pathos and a humour. She wrote the script, which is also flawless. The set design and cinematography are stylish and great on the eye..
I highly recommend this. It's a bit different, it's got a message, and for any woman who's been through university or been in a workplace with a drinking culture and witnessed, or suffered under the general outcomes, you may, like me, recognised some of the behaviours - or at least witnessed the behaviours - you may find yourself cheering for the almost tragic Cassie.
It's a pity more young men won't see this as it makes for a great cautionary tale too.
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