Movie Breakdown: The Woman In The Window

Pre-Screening Stance:

Joe Wright (Hanna, Atonement, Darkest Hour and lots more.) is a good director, and Amy Adams is fantastic actress. However, The Woman In The Window has been on the proverbial shelf for quite some time now, so it’s hard to have a ton of faith in the film. Maybe it’ll turn out to be a pleasant surprise though.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Just after The Woman In The Window finally dragged itself to a conclusion, I forgot pretty much everything about it. And I know, it’s impossible to watch this film and not acknowledge that Alfred Hitchcock already churned out the ideal version of it in the form of 1954’s Rear Window, but even if that fact wasn’t working against The Woman In The Window, it’s still a movie that isn’t memorable or noteworthy at all. I think this is largely because the film itself just feels very cobbled together, and that does its cast and plot no favors whatsoever. Amy Adams is flat as Anna Fox, a once very capable woman who is now ruled by her agoraphobia, and while the supposed murder that the film is centered around does draw in a stream of familiar faces – Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie, Wyatt Russell, Julianne Moore, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry – there really isn’t anything for them to do but take turns on the “Is Anna a nut or did she really see something?” merry-go-round. It gets old quick, which makes the movie feel long, and that’s just not what anyone wants in a thriller.

The Woman In The Window is a bland slog and you should probably cruise right on by it and watch something else. The film will hit Netflix this Friday, May 14.

One Last Thought:

Were I in charge of the marketing for this film, I would have printed up shirts that said BELIEVE THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW. What a missed opportunity!