Babygirl

This is not the movie I was hoping for. It felt awkward at times, with cringe worthy scenes. As much as I enjoyed Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson was not enjoyable for me on screen. I felt like it could have been sexier, and more kink satisfying. I literally laughed at some scenes when I should have enjoyed them. A theme I'm into, but this wasn't it for me. Antonio Banderas was a perfect fit for the part! You felt for the husband, and i bought his pain. I really wish this would have been better, but as it is, I don't think I'd care to ever watch it again.

Saw in theaters at AMC with Nicole on 12-27-2024.

Nicole Kidman is giving a performance in "Babygirl" that no doubt many people will be calling "brave," mostly because it suggests that women over the age of 50 (gasp!) like to have sex and maybe even like to get kinky once in a while.

She does give a good performance, and it's the movie's biggest selling point. It's a shame that by the time the film is over her performance has been diluted by a muddled screenplay that doesn't know what it wants to say about gender dynamics or the sexual power play between men and women. Maybe confusion is the point, because Kidman's character doesn't completely know what she wants. She enjoys her place as a powerful female leader in the professional world, but she also enjoys relinquishing that power in the bedroom and giving into submissive fantasies. But only up to a point -- submissiveness for women can quickly veer into uncomfortable territory if taken too far by the man they're with. Scary can be fun, but after a certain line is crossed, scary is just scary.

I applaud a film that's honest about female sexuality, but I wish the topic had been given a better movie than this.

Grade: B.

This film is really different from other love affairs between young girls and young girls this year. The focus is not on having an affair with a young girl, but on the heroine as a middle-aged person trying to explore her long-standing sexual fantasies and struggling with whether to face the reality. Self, or suppressing and covering up the need to be a normal person. Because what she likes is not young meat, but alternative sexual fetishes. Moreover, in several other old-young romances, the woman is single (widowed or divorced). The purpose is to avoid moral condemnation and just to please the female audience, so they are all presented in the form of romantic comedies. But this film deals with ethics such as cheating and inappropriate behavior in the workplace, and emphasizes the heroine's inner condemnation, shame, and desire to stop. Therefore, it is no longer a comedy or fantasy, but is presented in a suspense-thriller manner, and it explores not love but self-awareness.

In the genre of "erotic thriller" it is typically the male that is portrayed as the cheating spouse who gets caught up with the femme fatale.

Here, the role is reversed... it's the middle-aged career woman seeking sexual satisfaction outside her marriage with a younger co-worker.

Despite what some reviews here suggest though, this is not an audacious concept. It has been mined in such movies as Unfaithful and Ryan's Daughter.

And for a movie being marketed as an erotic thriller/mystery, there's none of that here. It's just a straight up drama more in the vein of 9-1/2 Weeks than movies such as Fatal Attraction or Body Heat.

There's a hint of what could have been in just one scene where Kidman's philandering corporate officer and her younger lover threaten each other with exposure. Which of them has the better ammo? We'll never know because the subject is never broached again.

Kidman deserves nods for leaning hard into her role as the unsatisfied wife who has kept a lid on her darker desires during the course of her marriage. Unfortunately, the younger man she takes on, Harris Dickinson, is no match for her. He doesn't have the gravitas or screen presence to suggest that Kidman's character would be at all interested in him.

An okay one-of watch for Kidman's performance.

Underdeveloped characters' storyline, the dialogue between them is flat, absolutely no chemistry between the main character and the young man. Nicole Kidman's character, meant to be a layered portrayal of vulnerability and control, comes across as shallow and poorly developed. The supporting cast, including Antonio Banderas, is equally underutilized, leaving their roles feeling more like afterthoughts than essential parts of the story. The script lacks depth, relying heavily on melodrama and predictable tropes rather than offering any fresh perspective on female desire or empowerment. Scenes that aim to be provocative or intense often feel forced and unconvincing, making the film's attempts at emotional resonance fall flat.

The pacing is another significant issue. The movie drags in its middle act, with repetitive dialogue and unnecessary subplots that add little value to the overall narrative.