Film Review: Promising Young Woman
I admit I am late to the party. I also admit I was negatively swayed by its neon soaked signage and its garish contemporary code signifiers. But Sunday mornings are meant for movies, so today I finally succumbed to curiosity and the allure of Carey Mulligan and I watched Promising Young Woman (Fennell 2020). I loved it.
This is a clever, thought-provoking, and very timely film that dodges genre and expectations — a virtuoso opening salvo from first time Director-Writer Emerald Fennell. And get this, Emerald Fennell played Camilla in The Crown. Apparently there is nothing she can’t do.
Woman of the hour, Jennifer Coolidge delivers a quiet, understated lovely performance. A bland brunette canvas on which Carey Mulligan’s complex, colorful Cassie can splatter herself. More fable than factual, this is a feminist revisionist fairy tale cloaked in a realistic premise. And if the plot pushes plausibility a little too far, that’s OK. You’ll be rewarded with a twisty-turny, surprising, sometimes dark, sometimes funny wild ride. Sit back and enjoy. And if the ride makes you squirm a bit in your seat, then this film is asking the right questions. We don’t have all the answers, but let’s keep watching the difficult stories and let’s keep exploring.
