User reviews

I was invited to a screening and director Q&A. This film is much artier and obtuse than I expected. The central family is nameless. So we must simply refer to them as Mother, Father, Son for shorthand. Mother is a frustrated former artist, complete with MFA. She's now a frustrated stay at home mom with a two year old terror. He's blonde; mom is a redhead and dad has brown hair. This was a real annoyance for me. Dad has some important job involving travel and goes away for a week at a time. Director Heller is more interested in the magic realism part of the screenplay than giving us any details. I loved the scene that she has with her former classmates, all successes to some degree. She may as well be a fly on the restaurant wall. I also enjoyed Mother's scenes with dogs, which are plentiful. Apparently each of the three main dogs corresponds physically to one of her friends.

Amy Adams is absolutely amazing in the role. But I kept picturing Amy Schumer in the role! I felt that the film is beneath her. She should be in obvious Academy Award level fare, not this experimental lunacy. Scoot McNairy is fine as her shlub hubby. This is one unattractive couple on the big screen. Who says Hollywood is all about glamour? Zoe Chao as one of her mom friends is a dazzling beauty completely stealing every second of her screen time. Mary Holland and Archana Rajan are entertaining as her other mom friends. Jessica Harper is fantastic as Norma the librarian. The director tried to hide the setting, but it was obviously LA. Apparently it was only filmed there because AA lives there. I didn't hate the film, but I came away disappointed by Adams' choice to do it. Being the top dog lead is a big deal. However, this seems like a waste of her talent. I wanted to howl at the sky afterwards too.

Rating - 5.2: Overall, a pretty bad movie that just 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.

Direction - Pretty Bad: The direction on a macroscale is very simple and feel-good, makes it feel like this movie was made explicitly for "Booktok" ; the direction on a microscale is very bland, forced, and simple ; the storytelling is incredibly simple and bland as it reads like a mother reading this story back to me

Story - Bad: The concept is actually very dumb, and it is obvious this movie was made for 'Booktok' because the book is a 'Booktok' book; not only is the concept dumb, they do a bad job actually introducing it and showing its importance because it only feels like a small detail throughout the movie; the plot structure is very plain and simple; the character writing is pretty good, even though it is very overt, because the main character is a symbol for the struggles with motherhood and how it is ok not to be the perfect mom

Screenplay - Pretty Bad: The dialogue is simple, bland, and written as if it were for "Booktok" ; the dialogue is so bad that there is literally a scene within the first 20 minutes of the movie where the main character says "I am Nightbitch" ; the humor is fine, but very forced ; the symbolism is profound, as the whole movie is about the struggles of motherhood and accepting that nothing is a model mom or person ; the foreshadowing is only there because the movie is very formulaic

Acting - Pretty Good: Amy Adams - Good (Her performance is only good because she's Amy Adams; she's given nothing to work with), Scoot McNairy - Pretty Good (Has pretty good chemistry with Adams and does a good job showing their one-sided dynamic), Rest of the cast - Decent (A lot of background actors, who are fine, mainly just support Adams)

Cinematography - Decent: Simple

Editing - Decent: Simple

Visual Effects - Pretty Bad: Pretty tacky

Pacing - The pacing is a little slow because the narration moves the story forward

Climax - The climax is pretty forced

Tone - The tone feels very much like this movie was made for "Booktok"

Final Notes - Saw premiere at the Austin Film Festival; It is obvious who this movie is for, I am clearly not the target demographic; This was supposed to be the movie that saved Amy Adams, not destroy her.

The movie is overall good, but I expected it to be darker and more horrifying, rather than comedic.

The targeted audience should be parents. Although I am not a parent right now, I can totally resonate with the themes presented.

If you have any questions about motherhood and feminine rage, you might find this film insightful.

The screenplay is also well-written; some dialogues from the characters are very sharp.

Marielle Heller is definitely a talented female director who can adapt a seemingly impossible book into a successful movie.

Adams is undeniably amazing. This is the best performance I have seen from her so far, and it might be the best performance I have seen this year. It is a career-defining performance. She is feral, brave, and funny. She truly commits to the role. The depth of her performance is evident in the intricate details of her facial expressions, which beautifully convey her anger, joy, and pain. Adams embodies the role of a mother with an authenticity that resonates deeply, likely stemming from her own experiences as a mother in real life. This personal connection elevates her performance, making it feel both relatable and genuine. I can't help but feel a strong connection between her portrayal and my own mother, as if she captures the essence of maternal love and sacrifice in a way that truly speaks to me.

This movie seems to be divisive so far. I have seen some people dismiss her performance, and many believe Adams shouldn't win or even be nominated for this bizarre role. No, definitely not. For me, acting awards are always performance-based, not movie-based. She is the vehicle of the film. She definitely should be nominated or even win. The passion shouldn't vanish.

I hope more people can recognize and see my points.

Other than that, Scoot McNairy is also fantastic.

Despite some flaws, the movie is worth watching.