To start out, I am NOT a Vince Vaughn fan. I know he’s had some funny cinematic moments, but, if I’m totally honest, I prefer his non comedic endeavors. Save one. This, to date, has to be one of his best comedic roles.
The skinny: If you’ve seen the previews then you know that this is a Blumhouse twist on the Freaky Friday franchise. If you’re not familiar, it’s a sort of body-swapping thing where the two people are supposed to learn something about each other and themselves while being forced to live a day in each other’s bodies. The twist in this version is a teenage girl named Millie (Kathryn Newton, Big Little Lies) gets body swapped with the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn) who is a serial killer and hilarity, and not a little gore, ensues.
Obviously, it’s not a new concept. The body-swap idea is old hat, but the horror aspect, okay, well, that’s not new either, but it works. When you add in all the social awkwardness, and the slight nod to Millie’s personal difficulties, as well as her awesome and amusing friends, this movie works so well. There are so many ridiculous aspects to this movie that made it a joy and a cringe to watch. Newton plays a convincing demented serial killer whose makeup and styling is oddly on point considering the state of the serial killer’s actual body. Vaughn’s teenage girl getting used to an oversized man’s body is as good as Jack Black’s teenage girl searching for her phone.
I just want to warn any people who get squidgy at the sight of gore or blood, there’s a lot of it in here. I would love to tell you some of the gore-tastic death scenes, but I really want you to go see this, and of course, avoid spoilers.
The Bottom Line:
To wrap it up, I can’t believe I’m pimping a Vince Vaughn movie, but I am. If it’s the only movie you see for the rest of the year (as if that would apply to any of our dear readers), I promise you it’ll be worth it. Is it a great film? Absolutely not. Is it just a bit of some dumb, enjoyable fun? Absolutely. Given how these past couple years have been totally crap-tastic for most of us, you probably need it as much as I did. -7.5/10
–Hannah Scott-Collins
Staff Writer
- NERD NATION MAGAZINE - 