Movie review: The Woman In The Window
When are we ever going to stop feeling sorry for the sad, grief-stricken women Amy Adams seems so fond of playing?
The Oscar has eluded her even though she has given her all in Arrival, Hillbilly Elegy and Sharp Objects, so perhaps it is time she changes lanes.
She takes things to even greater extremes - while bordering on caricature - in this psychological thriller currently streaming on Netflix.
An agoraphobic child psychologist (Adams) finds herself spying on a new family across the street through the windows of her New York City brownstone, but her life is turned upside down when she inadvertently witnesses a brutal crime.
The pedigree involved - Joe Wright directs from a screenplay by Tracy Letts - is the saving grace.
Unfortunately, Gary Oldman and Jennifer Jason Leigh do not have much to do. Also, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier co-stars Anthony Mackie and Wyatt Russell pop up in thankless parts, and Julianne Moore gets to milk her one scene.
While the central mystery does keep one engaged, the build-up of unintentionally comical Hitchcock homages and cheap shocks ultimately pushes the film over the edge and out the window.
THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (M18)
Score: 2.5/5
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