The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have been the inspiration for many a revenge movie, but none have had quite the buzz as Emerald Fennell’s directorial debut, Promising Young Woman. Starring a ferocious Carey Mulligan, the talk out of Sundance had everyone anticipating the movie’s upcoming release…and then the pandemic hit. The film has been on ice every since, and perhaps it’s for the better because Focus Features now has it slotted for this Christmas, right in the heart of awards season.
It’s where Mulligan belongs, if you ask me.
Promising Young Woman stars Mulligan as Cassie, a brilliant former med school student who sees her bright future derailed by a sexual assault. Unable to get justice, she now leads a double life in which she can seek vengeance on her own terms.
And man, the things she does to get payback are truly inspired. But I don’t want you to think this movie goes ANYWHERE you expect it to. The twists on this are absolutely insane and I haven’t been able to get the ending out of my head all year. We should probably expect that from Fennell, a showrunner on Killing Eve. In case you can’t tell, this is one of my favorite movies of the year.
Mulligan is joined by Bo Burnham, Laverne Cox, Alison Brie, Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge, Max Greenfield, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chris Lowell, Sam Richardson, Molly Shannon, and Clancy Brown.
Promising Young Woman arrives in theaters on Christmas Day, and it’s going to cause quite a stir. Don’t miss it.
