21/29
Chronology
A woman takes a break from her career to be a stay-at-home mom, but soon her household takes a surreal turn
It was originally set to be released straight to streaming on Hulu, but strong reception from test screenings prompted Searchlight Pictures to give it a wide theatrical release instead..
Mentioned in Saturday Night Live: Jean Smart/Jelly Roll (2024)
Riding Carousel"Performed by Alexander McCabeWritten by Alexander McCabe.
Rating – 52: Overall, a pretty bad movie that feels like it was made for a 'Booktok'; Amy Adams can only do so much with how silly the story is, despite the strong messages about the travails of motherhood
Direction – Pretty Bad: The direction on a macro level is very simple and enjoyable, it feels like this movie was made specifically for "Booktok" ; the micro-scale direction is very mild, forced and simple; the narration is incredibly simple and bland because it sounds like my mother is reading this story to me Story – Bad: The concept is actually really stupid, and it’s obvious that this movie was made for 'Booktok' because the book is 'Booktok' book; not only is the concept stupid, they do a poor job of actually introducing it and showing it’s importance because it just seems like a small detail throughout the entire movie; the plot structure is very clear and simple; the character writing is pretty good, although it’s very open, as the main character is a symbol of the struggle with motherhood and how it’s okay not to be a perfect mom Script – Pretty bad: The dialogue is simple, bland and written like it’s for "Booktok" ; the dialogues are so bad that there is literally a scene in the first 20 minutes of the movie where the main character says "I am a night bitch" ; the humor is good, but very forced; the symbolism is deep, as the entire film is about the struggles of motherhood and the acceptance that nothing is a model mother or person; the hint 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 not fun to work with), Scoot McNairy – pretty good (she has pretty good chemistry with Adams and does a good job showing his one sided dynamic), Rest of the Cast – Decent (Many background actors, who are good, mostly just support Adams) Cinematography – Decent: Simple Editing – Decent: SimpleVisual Effects – pretty bad: Pretty tackyPacing – Pacing is a bit slow as the narration moves the story forward.
Climax – The climax is pretty forced
Tone – the tone feels like this movie was made for "Booktok"Final Notes – I saw the premiere at the Austin Film Festival; It’s obvious who this movie is for, I’m obviously not the target demographic; This should have been the movie Amy Adams saved, not ruined.
