funny bone

Promising Young Woman is a rollercoaster ride disguised as a thriller-dark comedy-revenge flick? As someone who used to be a Promising Young Woman I related, though Cassie’s situation is wayyyy different from mine — with a different ending, hopefully;)  But, we were both on the road to success before WHAM! Something happened to change everything.

Enough on my situation — let’s get to why this film affected me so profoundly. Like life, it never goes the way you expect it to. Like an old Hitchcock film, it keeps you on the tip of your toes from the beginning to the end. And like any really good film, it makes you think about it for a long time after.

It’s not what you think —

I thought I’d be watching a woman’s revenge vigilante pic, but it’s not exactly that. You’re never quite sure what Cassie (played by the mega-talented Carey Mulligan) is up to — maybe it’s because she’s not sure how far she’ll go herself.

It’s twisty with creepy cameos from Adam Brody, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Max  Greenfield, Chris Lowell, Alison Brie and Connie Britton. Jennifer Coolidge is unrecognizable, Laverne Cox acts with heart as always, and Bo Burnham is exactly right and wonderful in his role as Ryan, the guy who temps Cassie into letting her guard down.

The kickass writing is a.maz.ing. It’s shocking that this is writer/director Emerald Fennell’s first film.

It’s impossible to know who will win awards during this crazy continuance of Covid-everything. I’m just grateful Emerald Fennell will be writing weighty roles for women for a long time to come. Her writing is so unique, clever and accessible. And she executed her vision exactly as the Director.

Carey Mulligan revealed every layer of this extremely complicated character with intelligence and clarity.

Someday, I’d love to have a chance at a role like that… be worthy of a role like that… if only…