This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Good to the Last Drop
Plot Overview
Piecing together a backstory from the crumbs we
are given, Violet Gates (Meghann Fahy) is a sexy single mom with a
five-year-old munchkin Toby (Jacob Robinson.) She's
reentering the dating scene through a fancy app on which people
post profiles of their invented selves depicting what they think
others might want. Amateur photographer Henry Campbell
(Brandon Sklenar) isn't fooled, but his photographer's eye
catches Violet's kind face, so he sets up “It's … a
date” with her in a swanky Chicago restaurant.
We get a glimpse of her earlier abusive marriage where her suicidal hubby Blake (Michael Shea) YELLS that she brought it all on herself and then compels her to shoot him. We'll take her word that she didn't, but her fingerprints on the pistol raise some serious doubts in some quarters. Her sister Jen (Violett Beane) comments on her impending date: “You deserve to be happy … and you need to get laid.” These two sisters are easy. At the bar Violet knows her way around the drinks, and she knows at least one come-hither move (“Bravo!”) to get her man to stay. The problem that she'd brought on herself is she got knocked up, was too kind to abort, and compelled the loser father into marriage.
The hit men for Henry's powerful
employer decide to use his unsuspecting date as the fall girl
to poison him with a substance she routinely prescribes in small
doses in her professional capacity as a shrink. They blackmail
her with threats to her son from a stranger in her house, relayed
from the security cameras to her phone. She is sent down a slippery
slope: first to trash the SD chip from Henry's camera and then slip
him a mickey. Once the detective sees her doing that on the
surveillance tape, their eyes will be on the “killer widow
strikes again,” rather than anyone else.
We'd earlier seen her consulting
patients by video. Of course they'd try to manipulate her, so she
had to manipulate them instead, to the extent of thinking
outside the box. In the trailer it has devolved into her
hanging by a ripping curtain outside the broken
restaurant window of a tall building. We might take a clue from a
story related by Molly Martin about a woman in firefighter training:
So-called girls' pushups are done with the knees on the floor, rather than using the toes as a fulcrum. They are immeasurably easier, requiring and developing much less upper body strength. … I went to the floor and did thirty-five women's pushups. Knowing I could have done the others, it was annoying to have all the male candidates watching me get this unfair advantage—No gender-based variations were offered or ordered on the rest of the test. The only break I got was that the chin-up bar at the school was too low for the adults to use, so the chin-ups were eliminated from the test. That had been my only other weak area. (159)
If the cliffhanger were of a man dangling from the curtain, we might half expect to see him pull himself to safety. But a woman, no way. Violet doesn't develop much arm strength pushing around a computer mouse. And she was but a kick toy for her erstwhile, scrawny husband who got off on bullying (weak) women and children. Her greater salary wouldn't have helped, either.
Ideology
It'll be a wonder if she survives her date, which is sort of telegraphed along the lines of (Proverb 30:18-19) “There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.”
The air, land and sea memes are as follows: First there's the weighted hockey puck she tosses over the shoulder of the bad guy, which he declares to be a “miss.” It wasn't. Her son likes to surprise her with small objects delivered by his remote controlled toy truck. There's a major drink spill at her table, which she attempts to wipe up. Before the night is over she'll need to doctor a bloody mess, take up a surprise gift, and misdirect a professional killer. All in all it was quite a date.
Production Values
“” (2025) was directed by Christopher Landon. It was written by Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach. It stars Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar and Violett Beane. Sklenar does an excellent job portraying a cool date with a potent secret. Beane as the brave mom and Jeffery Self as a new server both delivered standout performances. The rest of the cast was up to snuff.
MPA rated it PG–13 for strong violent content, suicide, some strong language and sexual references. Blackmail messages were delivered by a phone application called DigiDrop, writ large on the big screen for our benefit. It was effective up to fifty feet, but a lot of patrons were on their phones, so its source was undetermined. Composer Bear McCreary delivered a great musical score setting the tone. Creative directing, solid performances and a good mystery round out the job of a thriller. Runtime is 1 hour 35 minutes.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
The physicians' hippocratic oath includes the promise not to perform an abortion. Furthermore, their good book emphatically stresses that they do no harm. Violet had her love child, lost her husband, and now is faced with the ethical dilemma of choosing between the life of her son or of her date. It's hard being a doctor these days.
This thriller never lets up and gets very intense. Life can get very complex, and even for a movie this one takes the cake. Henry is a dream date and an uncompromising public servant. The restaurant staff is experienced notwithstanding it being the server's first day. Even the piano player knows his business. The wealthy patrons have their dark side, though. For dinner and a movie, think about it.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Well done action flick. Suitability for Children: Suitable for children 13+ years with guidance. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Fit For a Friday Evening. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.
Works Cited
Scripture quoted from the King James Version. Pub. 1611, rev. 1769. Software.
Martin, Molly editor. “Terese M. Floren * Firefighter” from Hard Hatted Women. Copyright © 1988 by Molly Martin. Seattle: Seal Press, 1988. Print.
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