Widows

Starring: Viola Davis, Liam Neeson, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Jon Bernthal, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Cynthia Erivo, Lukas Haas, Matt Walsh
Directed by: Steve McQueen
Rating: R
Genre: Drama Thriller
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A group of women (Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki) band together after their husbands are killed during a heist gone wrong. Out of desperation, they decide to pull off the heist their husbands had planned next.

Review:

Tim: I was really looking forward to Widows. It was Steve McQueen's first feature since the great 12 Years a Slave five years ago. The movie got almost universally positive reviews and was hailed as a more mature heist film that subverted expectations of the genre while delivering a more nuanced, character-driven film. That sounded incredible to me. Unfortunately, I really disliked the film. I'm honestly not sure why so many critics liked it so much. It felt off to me and the list of complaints I had far outweighed the positives. This isn't a good movie at all.

One of my chief criticisms is how boring the movie was. I truly had a hard time staying engaged. This has nothing to do with me expecting one thing and getting another. The film really wasn't all that interesting. We're introduced to a big cast of characters, most of whom are unlikable. The film takes its sweet time doing anything, resulting in a 2 hour, 9 minute run time that is easily 20 minutes too long. Nothing in the film is all that interesting. There's a lot of back-and-forth about a book that's going to lead to the heist at the end. The film continues to build to this heist, and then it's beyond anticlimactic. It's not especially interesting or entertaining. It's straightforward and it doesn't take much time to accomplish. There was no sense of brilliance or even much intelligence required. The whole film takes too long to build up to a conclusion that's lackluster. I'm really scratching my head about why so many people seemed to like this dull movie.

Now, you can get away with a slow movie if you have compelling characters who draw your attention and make you feel something. That didn't happen here. Viola Davis gave a good performance in the lead role, but she was beyond unlikable. She was curt and mean to everyone for no reason. I'm sure she was dealing with grief, but she wasn't even compelling enough to account for her behavior. It really was one of the most flat characters I've seen in a long time. Michelle Rodriguez was fairly good in her role. She played her supporting role well enough. I wish she had more to do (maybe cut a few of Davis' scenes). Elizabeth Debicki was actually one of the most pleasant surprises of the entire film. I thought her performance was complex and layered and you actually learned a bit about her character. She was definitely one of the strengths of the film. I liked the dynamic between Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall. Duvall is one of the great actors and he hasn't lost his talent with his age. He only has a few scenes, but you feel every one of them long after it's over because of his fire and brimstone performance. Duvall was great in this film. Farrell was fine. I don't have big faults with his performance, but it was just kind of there. I really like Jon Bernthal, but he had so little to do. I did love the casting of Brian Tyree Henry and Daniel Kaluuya. They were among the best parts of the entire film, but we didn't get enough time with them. Liam Neeson's presence is always good, but it was just odd. I can't get that opening scene out of my mind. It was awkward, which is pretty much how I'd describe his whole performance. As a whole, the characters simply weren't interesting or likeable. I struggled with them as a whole.

The movie does throw a few twists at us. I have to say I was fairly lukewarm about them. There's one where for a moment, I felt a sense of shock and exclaimed, "What??" And then that moment was gone- it was so fleeting. Then we got back to characters who weren't all that interesting, doing things fairly slowly. The movie never really capitalizes on those twists to build momentum.

A ton of people clearly liked this movie from critic reviews, but I was bored with it almost from the start. It was a slog to sit through and I truly believe this is an overrated film that people will forget. McQueen's last film was great, but I think the jury is still out on him as a director. This film is a clear miss in my eyes.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: 12 Years a Slave, Inside Man