Promising Young Woman: A Review
By: Mallory Johnson
I recently saw the movie Promising Young Woman in theatres, and I really enjoyed it. It stars Carey Mulligan (The Great Gatsby), Bo Burnham (The Big Sick), and Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black). The movie follows Cassie, a young woman who is traumatized by an event that occurred to her best friend years ago, and the revenge she is seeking because of this event. It is a dark feminist revenge comedy and is rated R. MAJOR SPOILER ALERT is in place because I will be discussing how the movie ends. Trigger warnings are in place for: sexual violence (it is MAJOR: it is shown and discussed. Please be careful), violence, murder, sexism, victim blaming, death, loss/grief, drug use/drugging, threats, implied suicide, manipulation, and choking.
This movie is very twisty, and I was shocked at how it ended. I was also shocked (and disappointed) that Bo Burnham’s character ended up being a bad guy. I really liked how the movie destroyed the “But I’m a nice guy” trope/excuse that is all too common. I compared the movie to the movies Hustlers and Birds of Prey, because Cassie reminded me of Harley Quinn. I loved how the movie was written and directed by a woman, who is Emerald Fennell. The comedy and romance in the movie make the dark subject matter of the movie easier to digest, which I really liked. The poppy soundtrack is very fitting for the vibe of the movie. I know that sexual violence is a very tough topic to cover, but the movie did a great job at it. Cassie was very calculated and knew what to do when she was scamming men. The movie came out on Christmas day 2020, but it was supposed to come out in April (the opening date was moved because of COVID-19). I read online that the title “Promising Young Woman” is a reference to real life rapist Brock Turner being called a “promising young man”
I was shocked that Cassie was murdered at the end of the movie and wished that she were just pretending to be dead in order to fully get her revenge. However, when it was revealed that Al Monroe got arrested for Cassie’s murder and that she was aware of the dangers, I was more satisfied with the ending. I read online that the ending of the movie is supposed to be uncomfortable and shocking, because people who have survived sexual violence have to live with that level of discomfort and trauma their entire lives. My rating for this movie is a solid 9.5/10, and I highly recommend it!