Sometimes, a girl just needs to drink a little … milk. Isn’t that right, ladies? A24’s newest film, the hotly anticipated Babygirl, hits theaters this week as an equally quirky bit of counter-programming to Nosferatu. We’ve been hearing about the sexy little character drama for months now. Is this one ready to turn on the box office? Or should Babygirl just stay in the corner? Read on.
Babygirl
Babygirl tells the story of a shipping company CEO (Nicole Kidman). She has a great life. A successful husband (Antonio Banderas). Eccentrically entertaining children. A beautiful New York City apartment. Her life is together. Or is that just on the surface? Things are thrown into flux when she begins a torrid affair with a fiesty intern (Harris Dickinson). Can this lady really “have it all”? Sophia Wilde, Esther McGregor and Vaughn Reilly co-star in the movie. Halina Reijn directs Babygirl from her own script.
Jumping right on in, Babygirl is a film that’s guilty of trying to do an awful lot, and honestly, its marketing has done it no favors. Trailers and interviews want audiences to walk away with one thought. Babygirl is sexy. It’s hot — at least, that’s what its star says. Nicole Kidman even talked about just how tired she grew of orgasming on screen. We get it, Nicole. This movie is sexy. Stop working so hard.
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Sure, the “sexy” angle is there. This reading, however, presents an overly simplistic view of Babygirl. “Sexy” is certainly subjective, but to be blunt, this critic has seen far sexier movies. If all this movie has is eroticism, Babygirl is only so-so. Ultimately, though, this movie sees itself as so much more than this flimsy script allows.
All Too Fleeting
Frustratingly, the bones are here for a meaty character drama worthy of this Awards Season release date. There are hints that these characters have convoluted pasts. These are complicated people, right? The film, however, doesn’t seem too keen to dig into this subject.
Often, these character moments are fast and dismissed in fleeting lines of dialogue, never to be seen again. We hear a quick conversation about Romy’s (Kidman) apparent childhood spent in a cult. Later, there are flashes when Samuel’s (Dickinson) facade cracks, but we never truly see the young man underneath this bravado. Both Kidman and Dickenson have been far better in recent years.
At the same time, in a post #MeToo world, there is a substantial argument to dive into sexual power dynamics carefully. These are challenging issues. Ultimately, if you change the roles in Babygirl and this becomes a male CEO, this movie becomes either a horror film or a Lifetime thriller. Interns shouldn’t do this stuff with their boss. We know this. Considering these real-world questions, Reijn misses an opportunity to cast an eye on the colossal issues with the film’s power dynamics.
Missed Opportunity
There’s an opportunity here to jump on the still relatively unique nature of having a woman in the lead role. As is common throughout this film, there are moments when things could grow more complex. There are hints of paranoia and the power that Samuel wields over Romy. However, those are fleeting as the characters return to the shallow and, in this case, icky sexiness.
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Perhaps Babygirl‘s most successful exploration comes in its examination of the complexities of communication. This is particularly true in Romy’s dealings with her husband (Banderas). Despite their 19-year marriage, Romy struggles to discuss even her most basic desires with him.
We learn in the opening scene he isn’t meeting her sexual needs, yet she only seems to broach this topic with him in a fit of anger after almost two decades, and he’s completely surprised. Her own frustration and shame at her needs and desires are hinted at, but the character growth ultimately feels rushed and hasty. As mentioned, juicy character drama never comes to fruition.
A Dated Dullness
It seems a surprise that Reijn’s last directorial credit was the hip (and hysterical) horror film Bodies Bodies Bodies. Babygirl shows none of the life and humor that last summer’s horror film had in abundance. From the script to the aesthetic, a dated dullness hangs over this movie. At points, the film feels to be taking place in the mid-1990s. Is this a messy period piece? Perhaps this is more believable than setting this in the complicated mess that is 2024.
When all is said and done, this critic struggled royally with Babygirl. The Nicole Kidman drama sees itself as the Awards Season answer to 50 Shades of Grey. Ultimately, the sexiness is fleeting at best, the characters are largely unlikable and the script is shallow. Reijn takes a tremendous amount of swings, but any time the story strays into the interesting and complex narrative bubbling under the surface, it retreats.
This is part soap opera and exploitation film all wrapped up in an Awards Season drama. Those who enjoy a bit of mess in their drama should find this somewhat entertaining, but it’s hard to see how this one lives up to the hype.
Babygirl is now playing in theaters around the country.
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