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.
