The Woman in the Window
Starring: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore, Wyatt Russell, Bryan Tyree Henry
Directed By: Joe Wright
Rated: R
You’ve seen Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl. You’ve heard about Emily Blunt as The Girl on the Train. But are you familiar with Amy Adams as The Woman in the Window? Based on the novel of the same name, the film follows an agoraphobic woman who witnesses a horrific crime while watching her neighbor’s house.
There’s so much to write about The Woman in the Window, but I have to begin with the behind-the-scenes drama. I initially picked up the book a few years ago as a beach read, hoping to find anything that could come close to the suspense of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. The novel’s author AJ Finn penned a decent enough thriller, but if he had just written about the drama surrounding his real life, I would have been reading something potentially more shocking than Gone Girl. The thing is, AJ Finn doesn’t exist. It’s a pseudonym. No big deal, right? Authors use fake names all the time. The man’s real name is Daniel Mallory, and his story is so insane that Jake Gyllenhaal is set to play him in a TV series. Mallory was exposed in a New Yorker article for lying about almost every aspect of his life, including having a doctorate from Oxford, suffering from cancer, losing a brother to suicide, losing his mother to cancer, and to top it all off, copying major aspects of the film Copycat for his writing. If you want to know more, check out this article.
With Daniel Mallory’s shadow hanging over The Woman in the Window, there’s no denying the plot feels like a dull remake of a Hitchcockian thriller. Most notably, it feels like a lifeless 2021 update of Rear Window. Several aspects of Hitchcock’s film are copied- like the neighbor who watches from a window, convinced that they have witnessed a murder. It’s quite a familiar plot. Joe Wright takes on the role of director for The Woman in The Window. I’ve long been a huge fan of Wright’s work. Atonement, Anna Karenina, and Pride and Prejudice are three of my favorite films that have a brilliant stylistic flair. Unfortunately for Wright’s many hits, there are misses…Pan certainly comes to mind. If you did not experience Pan in a theater and sit in disbelief when Hugh Jackman randomly broke out into “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as the pirate Blackbeard, then you missed out. (That was a moment I’ll never forget.) I’m gonna link it. Everyone needs to see this so I can reference it more often.
The Woman in the Window is not one of Wright’s hits. It’s a middle-of-the-road thriller. There are some visually impressive moments that show off his signature style. However, it feels like a letdown compared to his past work. Not to mention, the last act is a mess that leaves you thinking, “how did we end up here?”
I realize one of the most clichéd and annoying things someone can say about a film is “the book was better.” The Woman in the Window was not a fantastic book, but it was paced much better than the film adaptation. Obviously, there is a lot more time to get through a book than a movie. However, the film version made some reveals way too obvious. One reveal, in particular, is made clear from practically the first scene, but in the book, you don’t know until halfway through. The film also lacked suspense when it was greatly needed. I questioned everyone in the book. Yet, in the movie, that aspect is severely lacking.
This movie has quite an impressive cast. Amy Adams, Gary Oldman (in a bad wig), Julianne Moore, Anthony Mackie, Wyatt Russell, Tracey Letts (who adapted the screenplay). A well-known actor popped up in every single scene.
Amy Adams is obviously a fantastic actress. Everyone knows this. This role is not her best work. A lot of that is due to the script. Anna is agoraphobic and processing a traumatic event. She is confined to the house because of her agoraphobia, hoping for the moment she is able to leave. Adams spends most of the film caught between a hysterical state and investigating her neighbors. Of course, no one believes her when she claims to have witnessed a murder across the street (because that’s what happens in these movies.) Anna is very similar to Emily Blunt’s character in The Girl on the Train. By no means am I saying this is a terrible performance; it’s just not as good as we’ve seen Adams in the recent series Sharp Objects.
I thought Wyatt Russell and Julianne Moore were the highlights of The Woman in the Window. Russell is Anna’s tenant, David and Julianne Moore is the mysterious neighbor Jane Russell. Wyatt Russell is having a big year between The Falcon and Winter Soldier and The Woman in the Window. He’s shown in the past that he can play a wide variety of characters. In addition, Julianne Moore brought some much-needed energy to the film as Jane Russell.
The Woman in the Window is an average thriller that doesn’t bring anything new to the table. With a cast and crew this talented, you’d think the outcome would be a bit more impressive. I’d recommend putting on Rear Window instead.
My Rating: 5/10