Verity: A Stylish, Trashy Thriller That Delivers Pure Entertainment
A review of the stylish and manipulative psychological thriller Verity, directed by Michael Showalter and starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett.
If you mix "Gone Girl" with "A Simple Favor" and a dash of "The Housemaid," you get "Verity," a stylish, highly manipulative, and knowingly trashy psychological thriller that prioritizes sheer entertainment over deep philosophical questions. Directed by Michael Showalter, who previously helmed "The Idea of You" starring Anne Hathaway, the film delivers a slick, fast-paced cinematic ride.
The plot follows Sloan Ashby (Dakota Johnson), a struggling young author in desperate need of money, who accepts an offer to complete the book series of Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway). Verity is a celebrated, wildly successful novelist specializing in dark thrillers, currently left paralyzed following a tragic accident. The offer comes from Verity's devoted husband, Jeremy (played by the magnetic Josh Hartnett), whom Sloan encounters under bizarre and shocking circumstances right before stepping into their opulent estate.
Behind the Glamour and Manipulation
Once Sloan moves into the couple's grand home to begin her writing duties, she quickly realizes that something is terribly off. As she plunges deeper into their complex lives, the boundaries between truth, lies, and psychological manipulation begin to blur. The glossy, almost artificial aesthetic keeps the film from taking itself too seriously, allowing viewers to enjoy the wild twists without feeling weighed down by genuine dread.
"Verity is a trashy, stylish thriller that knows exactly what kind of entertainment it wants to provide, and if you accept its rules, it simply works." — Film Review
A Thrilling Escape for Movie Nights
While the movie touches upon heavy themes such as postpartum depression and child loss, it handles them with a pop-culture sensibility rather than grim realism. Anne Hathaway clearly relishes every moment of her role, Dakota Johnson fits the bill as the disoriented outsider, and Josh Hartnett reminds us why it is so great to see him back on the big screen. It may not redefine the thriller genre, but it makes for a thoroughly entertaining evening.
