Anne Hathaway's Verity Leaves Critics Divided In First Reactions

When ranking movies based on Colleen Hoover books, it's really a race to the bottom. Critics have never cared for any of them, but they clearly have fans who don't mind some nonsensical plots and melodrama. But how will audiences feel about the author's latest adaptation, "Verity?" The first reviews are in, and it's a mixed bag to be generous. Watch Looper's video above for some select quotes and what to expect before buying a ticket. 

"Verity" follows ghostwriter Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), whose hired to finish a novel by Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway), a famous writer who's been paralyzed in a tragic accident. What follows is a twisty narrative where Lowen discovers another book Verity was working on that could hold insight into her well-being. The book already wasn't too well-received, as it's genuinely a BookTok book that doesn't live up to the hype, and Nina Starner of /Film didn't hold back in her review of its screen adaptation. 

"The drama and stakes are, we're told, high, but they feel dull and toothless most of the time," she writes. G. Allen Johnson of The San Francisco Chronicle feels similarly: "'Verity' is at times so illogical and ridiculous that one wishes it had embraced its trash and gone over the top." These represent a significant portion of reviews that utterly hate "Verity." They don't even consider it to be "so bad it's good." It's just bad, and if anything, the film could've benefitted from leaning into campy trash. 

It's hard to find an unequivocally positive review for "Verity," but some found gems within it. David Ehrlich of Indiewire pointed toward what's perhaps the movie's one high point: Anne Hathaway's performance. "Hathaway seems to be having the time of her life going full succubus in the story's melodramatic flashbacks," he writes. Even in Nina Starner's aforementioned review, she states she might've walked out if weren't for Hathaway's juicy role. 

The Sydney Morning Herald's Karl Quinn also praised it with a back-handed compliment: "'Verity' isn't a great film, but it is a largely enjoyable one. And with its sense of what's real and what's not in constant flux, it might be the perfect tale for the post-truth age in which we live." That seems to be the highest level of praise critics can muster. It's not high art, but it's clearly not trying to be. It's a pulpy thriller with some sensual moments that might hold an audience's attention for nearly two hours. 

Last year's "The Housemaid" was a similarly sexy, twisty thriller that critics largely enjoyed, including here at Looper. If you go into "Verity" knowing it'll be a little bad but has enough twists to hold your attention, you may wind up liking it. Or you may hate it; that's the fun thing about art. For more critics' opinions before watching "Verity," watch Looper's breakdown video above.