Review: 'Promising Young Woman' is Bold and Ingenious

When I first saw "Promising Young Woman," I felt compelled to immediately watch it again (which I did) to experience the audacity and bracing originality of the film. Writer-director Emerald Fennell, in her feature debut, creates a genre-mashup that inverts the tropes we would normally see in both a revenge thriller, rom-com, dark comedy, and psychological drama.

Now, viewing it a third and fourth time via Universal's terrific Blu-ray release, I love it even more and was able to appreciate just how remarkable the filmmaking style is.

The narrative centers on a crafty young woman, Cassie (Carey Mulligan), who is bent on seeking revenge for the horrific treatment of a close friend (to put it mildly). Our protagonist is truly traumatized by the tragedy, and has immersed herself in a kind of justice-for-bad-behavior campaign that has her trapping and calling out men in borderline-frightening ways.

Her parents (Clancy Brown and Jennifer Coolidge), whom she still lives with, are quite concerned about her, as is her bestie (a hilarious Laverne Cox). Enter an old schoolmate, Ryan (Bo Burnham), who ushers unexpected romance into her life, simultaneous with a sobering piece of news that galvanizes her revenge plans all over again.

As I wrote back in December, and wholeheartedly stand by, Carey Mulligan gives the best female performance of the year in a film that is never predictable and steamrolls to a climax that had me thinking about it for days afterwards. Mulligan is one of our most gifted screen actresses, and she is long overdue for recognition. This should be her Oscar.

I was also struck by just how good Burnham is. He has a most tricky arc, and never lets the audience forget his humanity. Sure he fucks up – a number of times – but he does so out of confusion, hurt, or what he sees as self-preservation. He could have easily been a villain. Instead, he's funny, sad, and real.

Connie Britton pops up in a devastating scene where she and Mulligan get to basically deliver a course in brilliant screen acting.

Writer-director Fennell seamlessly blends creepy with giddy, horror with hilarity, and the macabre with a sense of gleefulness.

The film is a revelation in depicting just how two people can see the same situation in a radically different manner, depending on their sexual identity and social status. But the film is ultimately about love and the intense loyalty that real friendship creates.

Fennell's use of music is an inspiration, and her entire tech team delivers.

"Promising Young Woman" won the Writers Guild Award for Best Original Screenplay and has been nominated for five Academy Awards in including Best Picture, Actress, Director, Screenplay, and Film Editing.

The Blu-ray transfer rocks with popping visuals and awesome sound.

Sadly, the Special Features are ridiculously paltry, except for the Commentary.

The disc includes three 'making of' featurettes that total a whopping 11 minutes! Wow. Mulligan and Fennell provide some interesting tidbits about the gray area discussions in the film and how Fennell wanted to explore things seen as normal a few years ago that now are viewed as horrendous. The clips make one crave a much lengthier doc on the making of this truly beguiling film. Powers that Be at Criterion, are you paying attention?

Fennell's Audio Commentary covers all aspects of making the film, from how she decided to turn expected tables with her use of POV to detailed talk about the actors to certain shot homages ("The Shining"), to how she kept steadfast, to honoring Cassie's story.

From the killer opening scene to the controversial (but inevitable) ending, "Promising Young Woman" is the first real significant #MeTooAndFuckYou movie, and one that is truly bold and ingenious.

"Promising Young Woman" is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital