Elderly widow Solange (Kathryn Hunter) offers to share her wealth with her estranged stepson Norman (Andrew Burnap) and his pregnant wife Belinda (Brandy Norwood) so long as the couple agree to take her into their home. However, the old woman begins to make trouble from the moment she moves in, her controlling nature, extreme religious beliefs, bizarre behaviour and chronic incontinence putting pressure on Norman and Belinda's relationship. Does the malicious old lady have a secret agenda - a sinister reason for wanting to drive a wedge between her stepson and his wife?
Well, no, actually, and that's the big problem with The Front Room: after plenty of well-executed build up, the film fails to deliver a satisfying payoff, the ending coming as a total damp squib. The misleading trailer hinted at Solange possessing dark, supernatural powers, her reasons for wanting to live with Norman and Belinda being far from Christian; however, rather than revealing the woman to be a member of an evil cult out to possess the body of Belinda or steal the life-force of the couple's child, Solange turns out to be just an ordinary obnoxious old bag, albeit one who regularly craps the bed. Writer/directors Sam and Max Eggers attempt a twist at the end of the film, but it's extremely weak, neither clever nor surprising.
To be fair, I had a pretty good time with most of the film, largely thanks to Hunter as Solange, who is absolutely hilarious, clearly having a blast playing a cantankerous, manipulative old crone in an adult diaper. It's just a real shame that the Eggers couldn't wrap things up in a more satisfying manner.
