PREMISE
Set in 1960s Massachusetts, it trails the parasitic relationship between two women working at a juvenile detention facility.
THE GOOD STUFF
HATHAWAY- This might be a really insane question, but is Anne Hathaway underrated? Sure, she’s been in some very massive hits and performed very well in them. Sure, she’s got an Oscar for LES MISERABLES in which she proved that she’s actually a hell of a double threat that can sing very well. But I often find that in the conversations of what actresses are the best around, Anne Hathaway’s name never comes up. She got a lot of haters during that Oscar run, and I kinda wonder if those haters are still there. It’s something that I’ve never understood and when I see movies like this it becomes even more bewildering.
There is something to be said about screen presence and in this movie it is undeniable that Hathaway has that just as much as any actor in the game right now. The first half of this movie is simply her being the coolest person in the room, she communicates largely through gestures and facial expressions that completely melt the main character Eileen played by Thomasin McKenzie. Hathaway’s best performances are in movies that you’ve probably never heard of or movies that really aren’t spoken of that much. (RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, BECOMING JANE, LOVE & OTHER DRUGS, and COLOSSAL for example) Strong performances in smaller movies are right in her wheelhouse.
THE BAIT AND SWITCH (GOOD)- I find that even if a movie is based on a novel that’s been out for a while (like this is) it’s still pretty impressive when a bait and switch is pulled on the audience in the way that this film does. EILEEN is in fact two different movies when I come to think of it. The bait and switch is in fact that much totally different than what’s being presented before, and it completely makes sense dramaturgically. Things get pretty dark pretty fast… And that’s about as much as I can say about that without getting into spoilery territory.
THE BAD STUFF
THE BAIT AND SWITCH (BAD)- Though the bait and switch is very good, it does kind of take away from the very engrossing and entertaining first 2/3 of this film which is the superior story. I did leave the theater kind of wishing that the bait and switch didn’t happen even though I liked it.
THOMASIN MCKENZIE- Mackenzie only gets better and better every time she’s on screen. As much praise as I can heap upon Hathaway, it is Mackenzie who does carry the vast majority of this film with ease. However, as I once said about the actor Jacob Elordi in my SALTBURN review not too long ago about playing the same type of character, I do find that Mackenzie has mostly been playing the same thing: innocent, headstrong, out of control, and frightened for the majority of the running time of the film. One day she will play something else and I’m absolutely sure she will kill it in that something else. But she’s toting that line of playing the same thing over and over again.
THE UGLY STUFF
Honestly nothing. There’s nothing irredeemable about this film that needs me to activate my caps lock key in rage.
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I say this as endearingly as I possibly can. This here, is a perfect movie to watch at home with a glass of wine. It’s the best HBO original movie that was never made by HBO and released in theaters. EILEEN is a very straight-up film with no frills or gimmicks really. It feels very old school in its design and I can’t help but to appreciate that. That being said, see it at home…respectfully.
EILEEN is playing in theaters now