James Sunshine's "Killing Mary Sue" attempts a satirical deconstruction of a well-worn trope but ultimately becomes the very thing it seeks to parody. The film, which follows a group of writers who try to kill off their all-powerful, flawless main character, suffers from a severe lack of narrative focus, meandering between meta-commentary and a generic action plot without truly committing to either. The result is a lukewarm and ultimately unmemorable cinematic experience that delivers neither genuine laughs nor compelling thrills.
The supposed "clever" interactions between the characters feel forced and contrived, lacking the genuine spark necessary to engage the audience. The dialogue, often laden with clichéd pronouncements about storytelling and character arcs, feels painfully artificial, as if the writers simply strung together a series of pop culture references without any regard for natural conversation. The film's self-awareness feels less like wit and more like a crutch, failing to mask its underdeveloped plot and thin characters.
Is it worth watching? No. It's a film that promises a clever critique but delivers a clumsy and uninspired caricature.
