Stars: 4.5/5
Before I get into this Rev Rank, I would just like to state for the record that going in blind to this movie is the best way to see it. I had no idea what this movie was about before I saw it, nor had I seen a single trailer, clip, or review for it. All I really knew about the film was that Carey Mulligan plays a woman out for revenge. Granted, that’s a high concept idea that I would more than likely pay to see without any prior knowledge, but it wasn’t until a friend of mine encouraged me to go see it that I decided to buy a Sunday matinee ticket for it. Honestly, going in blind as a bat was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made because “Promising Young Woman” is one of the best things since sliced bread.
Now, turn away if you wish to watch the movie the way it should be seen.
For those of you still reading, “Promising Young Woman” is the directorial debut of Emerald Fennell which solidifies herself as one of the most promising young filmmakers working today. Without getting into too many spoilers, the film follows Cassie, a thirty-year-old coffee shop worker, (Carey Mulligan) who exacts revenge on lustful, predatory men due to a traumatic event from her college days. It isn’t until she meets a kindhearted pediatrician named Ryan (Bo Burnham) that she contemplates whether or not her quest for vengeance is worth carrying on.
Marketed as a dark comedy, the film is not as brutal and bloody as one would expect from a female revenge thriller. Equally unpredictable and heartbreaking, it is a wildly entertaining and subversive #MeToo era femme fatale picture that contains next to no bloodshed. I found the film to be truly refreshing, particularly in how understated and painful it is to watch at times. This is exemplified through Mulligan’s career-best performance as she carries heavy emotional baggage, but she never chooses to show it to anyone.
Just like the gorgeous, candylike cinematography, Mulligan’s Cassie wears this exterior facade which allows for no one, not even her closest friends or family, to be able to crack her tough, grief-stricken shell. While there are brief, fleeting moments where the audience can visibly see through her pain, Mulligan effortlessly captures those unspoken feelings so well with agonizing grace. In addition to her, the supporting cast is rounded out by terrific performances from Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Adam Brody, Clancy Brown, and even McLovin himself, Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
Something worth mentioning is that the ending of “Promising Young Woman” will either make or break the film for moviegoers. For starters, the buildup to the ending may leave some viewers feeling like the rug got pulled out from under them. It’s an obvious storytelling choice on Fennell’s part that gets later justified in the film’s final moments. However, it may appear a little too good to be true for some audience members.
Personally though, I absolutely loved the ending. Featuring the best usage of Juice Newton’s “Angel of the Morning” since “Deadpool,” I found it to be a highly cathartic conclusion that managed to put a wicked smile on my face. It was the perfect capper to an otherwise brilliantly written and achingly relevant revenge thriller that left me with only one thought when walking back from the theater: men are terrible, but “Promising Young Woman” and Carey Mulligan are not.