PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN (2020) – My rating: 6.5/10

Promising Young Woman is a black comedy thriller written, produced, and directed by Emerald Fennell in her feature directorial debut. Margot Robbie serves as a producer through her LuckyChap Entertainment banner. The film tells the story of a woman who seeks to avenge her best friend who was a victim of rape. I only came across this movie looking for something else.  While I thought the movie was decent, it featured an ending I loathe.

Cassandra “Cassie” Thomas (Carey Mulligan) at the age of 30, lives with her parents, Stanley and Susan Thomas (Clancy Brown and Jennifer Collidge), respectively, and works at a local coffee shop with her friend Gail (Laverne Cox). Several years ago, Cassie dropped out of medical school to take care of her best friend, Nina Fisher who also dropped out because she was raped by a classmate.  The school and the legal system totally failed Nina and it was implied that she eventually committed suicide. Apparently, Cassie never recovered from the ordeal as she frequents clubs at night pretending to be under the influence of some type of controlled substance.  Her plan includes tricking each member involved with the rape and making them change, one by one.  Promising Young Woman starts out as a good mystery but fails when it tries to make sense out of Cassie’s plot for revenge.  I just couldn’t see her vision.  Cassie lives to seek out these men who molested her BFF but has literally cut off her nose to spite her face.

You’ll have to see Promising Young Woman for yourself to determine what you think of Cassie’s plan.  The film was pretty entertaining for me until the ending, which I absolutely hated.  I’m still trying to figure out what’s what.  The plot takes you to Cassie’s not so well-thought-out situations, leaving you shaking your head. Despite my opinion, the film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for Mulligan’s performance and Fennell’s direction and screenplay. On Rotten Tomatoes, Promising Young Woman holds an approval rating of 91% based on 287 reviews and an average rating of 8/10. The site’s critic’s consensus reads: “A boldly provocative, timely thriller, Promising Young Woman is an auspicious feature debut for writer-director Emerald Fennell — and a career highlight for Carey Mulligan.”Promising Young Woman airs on Prime Viedo so even if you are a Prime member, you will have to pay to rent or buy the film — Check It Out!