Woman in the Window
In Woman in the Window an agoraphobic child psychologist (Amy Adams) witnesses the murder of her new neighbor Jane Russell (Julianne Moore). But when detectives, the husband Alistair Russell (Gary Oldman), the son Ethan Russell (Fred Hechinger), and the wife, Jane Russell (Jennifer Jason Leigh) disprove that she was murdered, two questions emerge: Is there a cover up? Did the murder actually happen? Heavily medicated combined with copious amounts of drinking, and being gaslighted, Anna begins to doubt her sanity. In order to overcome her own demons she has to solve this mystery.
My first reaction when the credits rolled was I couldn't believe how bored I was the majority of the film. I knew it was bad when intermittently I kept checking how much time was left. The genre is mystery / crime / drama, but the suspense doesn't build. When bits of new information surfaced my response was like Pete Davidson's SNL character Chad, "Ok." All of these scenes are underwhelming due to the typical genre tropes that the film settled into. Right now there is a demand for true crime content across all of the platforms (Amazon, HBO, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and standard networks) along with podcasts, books, museums. Viewers have hundreds of options in the comfort of their homes. Executives and producers need to ask themselves, "Is a script or book unique or redundant? Why would a consumer watch this particular film or TV show over what's next in their curated watchlists? What content is out there past and present on the various networks that is similar?"
Woman in the Window walked through the motions with the most basic mystery making it feel dated.
(ENDING SPOILER AHEAD): It doesn't help when Anna meets Ethan he instantly comes across as off. The motivation behind him being the killer of Julianne Moore's Jane is questionable, and feels like a convenient plot device versus compelling character development. Fred Hechinger who plays Ethan needed to have more of a transformation here. Yes there is aggression and some of his dialogue is well written. During the climax his interpretation needed to be more nuanced in the physicality, the look in his eyes, and the vocalization.
The main characters are all cliched stereotypes. Alistair Russell is another rich abusive husband and father. Somehow despite living across the street Alistair is able to confront Anna whenever the detectives are present. These scenes are melodramatic with hints of Jerry Springer vibes when he starts yelling, "She's called my work, lured my son into her home, photographing our house, your a drug addict and you made it all up, she's delusional." I love Gary Oldman in Dracula, The Professional, but he has lost his edge playing the antagonist. When he confronts Amy Adam's by himself, cornering her into a wall it reads as desperate instead of menacing. Ethan is another awkward teen. Jennifer Jason Leigh is the trapped rich housewife trying to hold the family together, Julianne Moore is the hip mom, and Amy Adams the grieving alcoholic.
Visually was a missed opportunity to enhance the paranoia and psychological distress of Anna. Especially with the sound design. Ultimately it fell flat.
Woman in the Window is streaming on Netflix.