Sweet Girl (2021)
August 22, 2021 11:05 AM - Subscribe
A devastated husband vows to bring justice to the people responsible for his wife's death while protecting the only family he has left, his daughter.
Matt Zoller Seitz:
Matt Zoller Seitz:
The main problem here is that—as written by Philip Eisner and Gregg Hurwitz, and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Brian Edward Mendoza—"Sweet Girl" is too long and disorganized, and often just too much, for its own good. It seems to want to be five, possibly six landmark 1990s and early aughts blockbusters at once. You'll recognize which ones every time a pilfered action beat or plot twist arrives, but let's just say that "The Fugitive," the "Terminator" movies, and the Jason Bourne films loom large, as well as any popular blockbuster where the storytelling cheats to create a whopping surprise that nobody could see coming because truth be told, it's kinda dumb.The Guardian:
Getting one’s own sub-par Netflix action movie has become a rite of passage for male and female actors alike, regardless of fame, age or status, with Mark Wahlberg, Karen Gillan, Chris Hemsworth and Liam Neeson all recent recruits (upcoming inductees include Jessica Alba, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Jennifer Lopez). This week sees the Game of Thrones alum and Aquaman himself Jason Momoa play headliner, a savvy get for the platform, and I imagine that watching him punch, kick, shoot and rage against the bad guys will prove an irresistible proposition for many viewers, if they can make if past the atrocious title.
This was badly written movie that has no idea what it wants to be. It's like part '70s paranoid thriller, part Fugitive and part early 2000s oh-so-clever twist movie but all three of those elements are poorly thought out and dumb. Momoa is OK and Isabela Merced is very good but given that Momoa is a producer of this, you'd think he'd find better vehicles for himself.
posted by octothorpe at 5:18 AM on August 23, 2021
posted by octothorpe at 5:18 AM on August 23, 2021
I haven't seen this, but I take it as a bad sign when the marketing for a movie says almost nothing about the movie itself and focuses entirely on how hot Jason Momoa is. Okay, sure, but he'd be just as hot in a better movie.
posted by Naberius at 9:37 AM on August 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Naberius at 9:37 AM on August 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
Agree with the badly written, needs to find an identity commentary.
I watched this purely for Pittsburgh. To its credit, it does much better than most films in terms of not cutting together nonsensical travel routes. The ones that really stuck in my craw were taking the Fort Pitt into Pittsburgh after being up north on 8 and the placement of the FBI on the north shore despite them consistently arriving at chases from the south.
Also, I don't care if you're an Olympic level long jumper. There's no way you're making the Allegheny from the roof of PNC Park. One thing they got right though -- Pittsburgh River Rescue is based right outside the park. They absolutely would be on scene immediately.
posted by bfranklin at 9:50 AM on August 23, 2021
I watched this purely for Pittsburgh. To its credit, it does much better than most films in terms of not cutting together nonsensical travel routes. The ones that really stuck in my craw were taking the Fort Pitt into Pittsburgh after being up north on 8 and the placement of the FBI on the north shore despite them consistently arriving at chases from the south.
Also, I don't care if you're an Olympic level long jumper. There's no way you're making the Allegheny from the roof of PNC Park. One thing they got right though -- Pittsburgh River Rescue is based right outside the park. They absolutely would be on scene immediately.
posted by bfranklin at 9:50 AM on August 23, 2021
They also stand on the platform at the Gateway Station to take the T to the Northshore but end in the other direction at Steel Plaza and then go from there to Allegheny Station but I do understand that the needs of the narrative are more important than fealty to geography.
posted by octothorpe at 10:28 AM on August 23, 2021
posted by octothorpe at 10:28 AM on August 23, 2021
It wasn't bad - worth the price of the Netflix subscription this month - none of the 3 people in our household guessed the "twist" (one of them complained about it - but that person complains about everything).
Personally, I was watching it mostly to see Martin Shkreli get some comeuppence... uh, I mean the villain that was basically his stand-in...
posted by rozcakj at 1:16 PM on August 23, 2021
Personally, I was watching it mostly to see Martin Shkreli get some comeuppence... uh, I mean the villain that was basically his stand-in...
posted by rozcakj at 1:16 PM on August 23, 2021
Weird little tidbit about this forgettable movie: A friend of mine filmed some scenes as an extra in this with Marisa Tomei but they were all cut and she was replaced in the final edit with Amy Brenneman. I went and searched and sure enough, there's a ton of stories from last year about Tomei playing the villain in this movie but she's not actually in the finished film.
posted by octothorpe at 6:38 AM on August 30, 2021
posted by octothorpe at 6:38 AM on August 30, 2021
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posted by haileris23 at 5:03 PM on August 22, 2021 [2 favorites]