6/10 Hype was pretty high for this film due to director Steve McQueen coming off of his Best Picture winning “12 Years a Slave” and the fact that this movie has a stacked cast and is co-written by the writer of “Gone Girl”, Gillian Flynn. It is rather disappointing then to have this be the final result. Not that “Widows” is bad, but that it isn’t particularly good either and with this level of talent attached, it really should be. The plot is interesting enough and offers up a slightly different take on the heist genre and the acting is overall extremely strong. The problems mainly come with certain characters and/or character arcs. Robert Duvall’s character for example, is a thinly written cliché of an old, racist man that felt tacky. Another character who doubles as a call girl with only one client has her storyline with that man basically fizzle out without much closure. Some instances happen in the film that just don’t seem very believable and you really have to stretch your imagination to believe some of these things could happen or happen without consequences. Viola Davis, whom gives an amazing performance, I felt was written so I didn’t completely buy the transition she makes from grieving widow to ring leader/badass of the widows. There could have been a better build up with that transition. The editing and cinematography are pretty average which is fine but don’t stand out or aren’t particularly memorable. The movie is entertaining and engaging with a solid run time so it deserves credit for that. There is a decent plot twist that I didn’t see coming and some cool flashbacks sequences. There is one lazy shot though where we see a character in the shower with an object and then later we see that same object in a different location. Instead of giving the audience the benefit of a doubt, McQueen wrongfully shows us that same shower scene to remind us where that object came from/whom had it initially. Not trusting the audience to remember and kind of talking down to your audience is never a good idea. This movie definitely has some redeeming qualities but overall is a letdown in terms of what it should have been. Not a bad way to kill a couple hours when it is out on DVD but any potential Oscars talk is null and void and you don’t have to see this film on the big screen. Here’s to hoping McQueen makes a comeback for his next picture.
#BlackWidow / #Emotions8 / #TakeAMulligan / #CheatPlayShove / #BrittleWomen / #HusbandingTogether
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