'The Woman in the Window' film review: 'Rear Window' this is not
The psychological thriller 'The Woman in the Window' (streaming on Netflix starting May 14) throws a troubled, unreliable narrator into a tangled mystery after she witnesses a violent crime. The only problem: anyone barely paying attention will crack the mystery and a big "reveal" within the first 10 minutes.
In short: Anna (Amy Adams) is an agoraphobic woman living alone in New York. Unable to leave her apartment, she begins spying on her new neighbors, only to witness a disturbing act of violence. Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie, Brian Tyree Henry and Julianne Moore also star.
Fair warning - although this review will not contain any plot spoilers, it would be prudent to advise anyone intent on watching this 'Rear Window' knock-off to watch 'Woman in the Window' first before reading this review. This has less to do with how "clever" this reviewer is and more to do with the fact that this film's strength is its psychological elements rather than its murder mystery.
Let it be known: trying to outsmart a mystery takes the entire fun out of watching a mystery. That is a personal preference when it comes to watching any film - however, the mystery genre admittedly invites some degree of audience participation. All that said: 'The Woman in the Window' very much tips its hand very early on - as early as the "opening minutes." And frankly, this takes a lot of the fun out of watching the movie, rendering the rest of the film as perfunctory. The very premise of the film promises some violent event, with Anna trying to convince everyone around her that it's not all in her head. While the film doesn't outright accidentally reveal everything, it's clunky execution of that basic premise basically just leaves the audience able to very easily deduce which character will suffer some terrible fate - and which character likely "did it."
While the movie's basic execution defuses the mystery aspects, 'Woman in the Window' totally succeeds in simultaneously presenting Anna with the horror of a terrible event -- and total skepticism of her thoughts. The film begins with Anna living separated from her estranged husband and daughter, dealing with crippling agoraphobia, wary of the side effects of her psychopharmaceutical regimen and her increased drinking. The film always keeps the audience on their heels when it comes to exactly what is real and what might just be in Anna's head. Every bit of credit here goes to the always awesome Amy Adams, whose performance constantly wavers between her certainty about what she knows to be true and the undercurrent of questions that undermine her as a credible witness.
Amid a stellar ensemble cast anchored by six-time Academy Award nominee Adams, its relative newcomer Fred Hechinger who stands out ... for a multitude of reasons, and none of them that endear his character to the audience. Hechinger is not the first young adult to play a teenage character and he certainly won't be the last - but the 20-something actor is absolutely unconvincing playing Ethan, the 15-year-old teenage son of Anna's new neighbors. And frankly, the fact that Ethan is supposed to be 15 years old is perhaps the most shocking aspect of his character. The characters age is incredibly relevant to film because Anna is a child psychologist who forms an immediate bond with Ethan. Hechinger is so unconvincing as a young teen that it's shocking when his character's age is finally revealed.
Adams aside, casting very much hurts 'Woman in the Window' as most of the ensemble cast of acclaimed actors is wasted in a series of stunt casting roles. Academy Award nominated actress Jennifer Jason Leigh is in this film - but her role is so minor and minimal that it's a waste of her talent and probably her time. Oldman, Mackie and Moore are tragically similarly underserved by their minimal roles. For a film that's barely more than an hour and a half and so many moving parts, 'Woman in the Window' is the perfect example of a great ensemble cast on paper that doesn't translate to great performances or a great film.
Finally, the film unsuccessfully tries to cram a lot of personal backstories ... that land with a thud. There's a whole character history that tracks how Anna became agoraphobic and explains how she became distant from her family. And the new family who moves into across from Anna's brownstone also has a layered backstory. But in both cases, the "big reveal" is hastily wedged into the film in single "revealing" scenes. At least in Anna's case, the scene that reveals her past is actually shown and not just crammed into some lazy exposition. But because the script couldn't help itself, even Anna's backstory has its own backstory. And all of that information is simply there to justify why Anna is severely agoraphobic. The antagonist just sorta ... recites their tragic past, much like a Bond villain revealing their plan a bit too early.
Final verdict: While 'Woman in the Window' succeeds in creating an unreliable narrator that even the audience should be wary of trusting, very little else about this movie works.
Score: 2.5/5
'The Woman in the Window' streams on Netflix starting May 14. This psychological thriller is rated R for violence and language and has a running time of 100 minutes.
