Showalter's 1h 54m 'Verity' Plays More Like Comedy Than Thriller
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 1
Showalter's 1h 54m 'Verity' Plays More Like Comedy Than Thriller
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 1
Summary
Michael Showalter’s 1-hour-54-minute “Verity” is judged far funnier than frightening, with the review saying its psychological-thriller ambitions collapse into unintentional comedy.
Dakota Johnson plays struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh, hired to finish three novels for Anne Hathaway’s Verity Crawford, a bestselling author said to be paralyzed and unable to speak.
The review blames Nick Antosca’s screenplay and lurid dialogue for the tonal mismatch, singling out overwrought sex scenes and shock beats that invite laughs instead of suspense.
Based on Colleen Hoover’s 2018 self-published novel, the film piles on gore, possible hallucinations and questions over whether Verity can walk, but the characters’ implausible behavior undercuts the mystery.