Grade: B
Promising Young Woman, my most anticipated movie of 2020, begins and ends very strongly. In the pre-credits opening sequence, we see 3 men shooting the breeze at a bar, and they notice a woman by herself, slumped over a seat. Her makeup is smudged, and she can barely talk or stand. One of the men helps her up and takes her to his place, where he eventually attempts to take advantage of her. Before anything actually happens, she reveals that she is perfectly sober. She was faking being drunk, so she could make an example of one of these “nice” guys who “just want to help” her. When she’s back home the next day, we see her get out a notebook and add another tally mark (of many).
I haven’t revealed anything that isn’t shown in the trailer. Skip over this paragraph if you don’t want to know a plot point that maybe you assumed, but I hadn’t. I figured she was killing these guys, but no, all she’s doing – and does at least once a week – is scaring them into “watching themselves” better next time. I took the scene that plays over the opening credits as a contrived attempt to mislead the audience. I didn’t think it was playing fair with us.
She is Cassandra, a med school dropout who lives at home. She turns 30 during the course of the movie, and her parents buy her a suitcase for her birthday. She works at a small independent coffee shop, and yes, when she’s not at home or at work, she’s out at the bars and clubs, pretending to be inebriated to troll potential predators.
This is the type of film that will stick with you. It is voluminous with details – the kind of stuff that will draw you to Google to look up articles, message boards, or a friend to discuss it with. Emerald Fennell (The Crown) makes her feature film directorial debut to great effect. The score, and especially the songs chosen for the soundtrack, pack a punch. This movie is not afraid to wallow in unsettling territory. There’s a shot during the climax that lasts significantly longer than what would be in my comfort zone. Carey Mulligan carries the movie as Cassandra, with nice often understated work as a young woman who is worn down by a backstory that will reveal itself to you. Comedian Bo Burnham shines as a former classmate who appears to be one of the few real nice guys in Cassandra’s life. Alison Brie is perfectly cast in a memorable role, which – though small – shows range. Old pros Clancy Brown, Alfred Molina, and Molly Shannon make welcome appearances.
Promising Young Woman is messy, perhaps a bit too black-and-white, but has something to say. Character motives can be confusing and unclear, it’s not the most plausible story in the world, and the ending poses some credibility problems. What are the odds that all that could happen at the most perfect time? Seems too convenient. But it is a great ending, from an artistic standpoint. If you don’t get wrapped up in the logical side, it’s easy to appreciate how much the director stuck the landing and brought things home. Promising Young Woman is entertaining and unrelentingly absorbing. It will shake you up. It’s meant to.
Grade: B
Film Reviews by Mark 
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