Sometimes a movie has a brilliant premise that immediately hooks you. Other times a movie has a frankly silly premise that you see and write off, only for the idea to grow on you over time. Drop is a perfect example of that, a film which I thought sounded like a surefire miss, but one with a very solid director at the helm and a trailer that I enjoyed a little more every time I saw it. Now the movie is here, and I can safely report that it is a very fun time.
The film follows Violet (Meghann Fahy), a fairly recent widow who goes on her first date since her abusive husband's death, leaving her young son at home with her sister. She arrives at a high class restaurant and meets her date Henry (Brandon Sklenar), who is incredibly charming and good hearted. The only issue? An unknown person airdrops her threatening memes and messages throughout their date, threatening to kill her son if she doesn't do as they tell her. The trailers show a bit too much in my opinion so I'll leave it there.
As you can expect, this is a movie full of twists and turns. What you may not expect though is how effortlessly fun it is. There's a ton of excitement through the tense thrills, but with Christopher Landon at the help this also has some very funny moments. It takes the natural awkwardness of a first date and uses it to create a sense of irony as we see Henry struggling through while not having a clue why Violet is acting so strange. Landon's previous work includes great horror comedies like Happy Death Day and Freaky, so it's no surprise that he nails the entertaining tone here. I was surprised by how tense he manages to make things though. He takes what is mostly a single location story and stretches it out into a sharp game of cat and mouse that never gets stale. There are some moments that force you to suspend disbelief a bit, including a climax that I think loses itself a bit, but on the whole I thought he nailed the tone and tension.
This is a lot more stylish of a movie than I expected as well. Bear McCreary composed the score, which nails the fun edge of the film, but the sound design was also a lot of fun, while also having some quieter moments that surprisingly struck a chord. The film touches a bit on domestic abuse, and while at first I found it to feel a bit out of place in a more light toned thriller, those moments of quiet managed to make it feel earned rather than taking on something serious for the sake of taking on something serious. The fancy restaurant brings a ton of style on its own, but the cinematography is shockingly fantastic. Landon and director of photography Mark Spicer are seemingly having a ton of fun with the camera, with very rapid but well choreographed movements that give the film a more frenetic energy despite the single setting. They really make the most of the environment, and stylistically I was reminded a lot of Leigh Whannel's work which is a massive compliment.
I wasn't educated on Meghann Fahy's work going into this, but I thought she was great. The way she balances the terror she's feeling as her son's life is being threatened with attempts at charm to keep her date there works incredibly well, and is ultimately a bit part of why the film succeeds despite its single setting. You really feel for her despite not knowing too much about her as a person. I was somewhat familiar with Brandon Sklenar, having seen him last year in It Ends with Us, but I just found him perfect here. He has a laid back kind of vibe but still comes off as extremely charming, making you want it to work out for the two of them despite the less than stellar circumstances. The two just play off of each other incredibly well, and while no one else has much time to shine, the supporting cast does just enough to buoy them through the film.
My biggest issue with the film really is the ending. There are some silly points, but the climax gets just a smidge too over the top for me. I still had a blast with this though, it's a fun and sharp thrill ride that doubles as a pretty perfect date night movie. Strong 3.5/5
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