Promising Young Woman

Rain came to complicate my day. So how do I pass the time? I found an answer on Amazon Prime. It's Promising Young Woman, the directorial debut of actress and Killing Eve writer Emerald Fennell. It'll grab your attention for 113 minutes and will never let go. Let's read on.

The Promising Young Woman is Cassie Thomas (Carey Mulligan). She and her best friend Nina were med students years ago. Nina was raped and driven to suicide by their classmate, Al Munroe (Chris Lowell). Cassie is now a shell of her former self. By day, she lives with her folks and works at a coffee shop. By night, she goes to bars and clubs looking for "nice guys." They say they're nice, but they're the type who take advantage of drunk women, as Cassie pretends to be. She reveals herself to scare them straight.

One day, Cassie's classmate, Ryan Cooper (Bo Burnham), walks into her coffee shop. They hit it off right away. He even tells her Al is going to get married. Cassie decides to exact revenge on those who doubted Nina. That's before she takes revenge on Al himself. But does she expect her revenge to be simple? Does she have a plan in case stuff goes wrong? No, and yes.

There's never a dull moment in the screenplay. That's because Cassie is a sharp character. Her backstory and methods are compelling. The opening scene shows her deal with one "nice guy." The "nice guys" think she's psychotic once she drops the drunk act, and there's a few times where she seemingly crosses the moral event horizon. But we soon learn that she won't go too far. She'll make them think she did. She saves her worst for the one directly responsible. That helps her keep the audience's sympathy. Yes, Carey Mulligan's performance lives up to the hype and then some.

Now to her supporting cast. Burnham as Ryan is a genuinely nice guy, perhaps the nicest in the film. So it's a shock when we see that he's not that nice. When Al finally appears in person, we see what a pathetic loser he is. A pathetic, unrepentant loser. The nice guy award goes to Al's lawyer, Jordan Green (Alfred Molina). His one major scene shows him truly repentant for his crooked lawyer past. It's a very strong scene that needs to keep him in Oscar contention. A few other highlights include Cassie's employer, Gail (Laverne Cox), her former classmate, Madison (Alison Brie), and former Dean Walker (Connie Britton).

The film's technical expertise shows Oscar promise. Its production design is as bright as can be. We have a neon-lit pharmacy and an imposing cabin, the latter being the site of Cassie's final confrontation. Cassie's wardrobe is just as bright and cheery as the sets. Perhaps it's to make it obvious that she's not so cheery. The cinematography and editing collaborate the strongest when Cassie gets proof of Nina's rape. There's also a good score by Anthony Willis and a nice set list on the soundtrack.

As you might have guessed, Promising Young Woman is not for everyone. Anyone who presses play on Amazon, or wherever it's streamed, will get a stunning revenge story with one of the best movie anti-heroines in years. The seemingly-bleak ending is thwarted by one last surprise. You'll be pleased when you see it. This was certainly worth paying almost $20 for to rent! I've got a few more high price rentals to come. Stay tuned.