Movie Breakdown: Rebecca

Pre-Screening Stance:

The last Ben Wheatley film I saw was 2016’s Free Fire, and since I liked it quite a bit, I’m carrying that goodwill (plus my love and appreciation for Lily James and Armie Hammer) into this updated take on Rebecca.

Post-Screening Ramble:

The more that I let Rebecca swirl around in my head, the more that my opinion of it lessens.

It begins with a young lady with no name (Lily James) meeting a man with an important one, Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer). The pair quickly fall in love, they get married, and then she (now designated as Mrs. de Winter) runs off to live with him. Once at his manor, things start to unravel … and unravel … and unravel. And here is where the main issue lies, once Mrs. de Winter starts digging into her not-exactly-wonderful new life, the film becomes a million different things, and it rarely seems interested in being any of them. There’s a plethora of twists and turns, plus a love story, a coming of age story, a revenge story and so much more all rolled up into this thing, and with no clear focus or passion for any one of these elements, Ben Wheatley’s latest becomes a hollow affair that stretches on for far too long.

In the end, I didn’t hate the melodramatic messiness of Rebecca, but it’s definitely not a memorable film. If you’re going to check it out on Netflix this week, I recommend kicking back a bottle or two of wine and setting your expectation level to low.

One Last Thought:

Someone should consider turning Rebecca into a mini-series. It has so many story-lines that could really play out well over the course of a season or three.

One More Last Thought:

I should seek out a copy of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca (from 1940) this weekend. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen it.