WIDOWS MOVIE REVIEW
The impeccable timing of Academy Award winning director; Steve McQueen’s and best-selling author Gillian Flynn’s Widows movie couldn't be more appropriate in the year of the woman.
In light of many recent movies that have put women at the forefront, with week screenplays; this was done well, with few hiccups along the way. The idea to make the women the protagonists of this movie was genius.
The movie begins with an obvious juxtaposition between light and dark, good and evil; showing the contrast of each couples relationship opposite the men in their line of work. Based in contemporary Chicago, the early perception of the couples are Veronica and Harry Rawlings (Oscar Winner; Viola Davis and Liam Neeson) are well to do, and happy with each other. Although, no words are spoken between the two in the entire opening scene, it's obvious something else is underlying. Linda (Michelle Rodriguez)and her husband have some monetary trouble but are still trying to work it out, maybe for the kids. Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) is abused by her husband Florek (Jon Bernthal), and clearly a victim of battered woman's syndrome where her husband apologizes and/or buys her something nice to keep her in control. Amanda (Carrie Coon) and her husband exchange very few pleasantries early in the morning while she tends to their baby.
The men are thieves, that pull off various heists and it’s not obvious whether or not the wives know exactly what they do. The men are killed pulling off a heist and Veronica is now expected to pay back the debts of her husband. She enlists the help of the fellow widows to pull off one more heist to pay back the debt owed, and to each walk away with a profit. We are then introduced to a bevy of characters; crooked politicians (Colin Farrell), a sociopath or two, a racist narcissist (Robert Duvall), and a mediocre white man that cries about his privilege, yet continues to use it to his advantage. Brian Tyree Henry as Jamal Manning is a joy. He is a complex character on ‘Atlanta’ and solidifies his acting chops for me in this movie. I have fallen in love with him! Daniel Kaluuya has always come across to me as a sinister character which is why it was a bit hard for me to root for him in ‘Get Out’ and even on his run in ‘Black Mirror’. His character; Jatemme Manning (Jamal’s brother) is very believable and quite fitting for how I view him.
I can say that I’ve never seen Cynthia Erivo in anything, but can we talk about her body?!?!? It’s amazing. She was a true bad-ass from the moment she stepped on the screen, demanding respect from everyone and still showing signs of vulnerability. The characters and storyline of this movie were well thought out and developed. My only gripe is that there is an additional storyline that was added to grasp the audience’s attention and be seen as current or relevant, but it was a glorified shout out. There wasn't enough time to flesh it out, and I think it could have been developed way better, as it does bring one couples story full circle. I didn't fully understand the ending, but that does not take away from the movie/story in it’s entirety. I tried to give you my honest review of the movie with no spoilers. I absolutely recommend you go see it and when you do, come back so we can discuss in the comments.