The Amy Adams Psychological Thriller You Need To Watch On Netflix
With a string of high-profile hits and indie gems to her name, one might think any new project featuring Amy Adams would be released to the sort of fanfare worthy of the actor's station. We are, however, living in rather unprecedented times. And even if we're beginning to glimpse the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, the past year has forced many a studio's hand in regards to getting movies released. Some have cut controversial deals with streamers for day-and-date releases. Others have simply opted to sell off certain properties in direct sales to streamers.
One such project is Adams' long-delayed psychological thriller "The Woman in the Window," which was initially tabbed for release in October 2020 under Disney's 20th Century Studios banner. Directed by Joe Wright ("Pride and Prejudice") and co-starring heavy hitters like Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore, Anthony Mackie, Bryan Tyree Henry, and Wyatt Russell, the new film features Adams as an agoraphobic psychologist who spends her days spying on the idyllic family next door. Her life gets turned upside down when she unexpectedly witnesses a shocking act of violence and must convince those around her what she witnessed was real.
Heading into production, "The Woman in the Window" seemingly had "prestige season player" written all over it. Unfortunately, the film was dogged by rumors of poor test screenings and lengthy reshoots. In the end, Disney apparently didn't have enough faith in the project to keep it on their extensively reshuffled release slate. Their loss may be the gain of both Netflix and the Amy Adams-loving public, as the streaming giant swooped in to buy "The Woman in the Window" outright and has just premiered the film on its own platform.
Critics and audiences are sharply divided over The Woman in the Window
If you're wondering whether you should stream "The Woman in the Window" this weekend, well, that depends on how much credit you give film critics vs. the average moviegoer. And as it is, the film's current Rotten Tomatoes ratings paint very different pictures of Adams' new movie. As of this writing, "The Woman in the Window" is taking a legit beating from the critical set, netting a less-than-fresh 30% rating on the review aggregate site.
Many of those critics believe the film simply doesn't deviate enough from the legendary flick that clearly inspired it, Alfred Hitchcock's paranoid 1954 thriller "Rear Window." Variety's Owen Glieberman is among them, writing, "'The Woman in the Window' would like to be a contempo 'Rear Window,' but it's so riddled with things you can't buy that it plays like a bad Brian De Palma movie minus the camera movement." While RogerEbert.com's Christy Lemire found much to like in the film, she claims it wholly fails to live up to its obvious potential: "But for all the craft on display, the often crackling dialogue, and some strong performances led by Amy Adams, 'The Woman in the Window' ultimately fails to deliver on its abundant potential."
But hey, critics don't know everything, right? And audiences are clearly more enamored with Amy Adams' latest, bestowing their own 74% Fresh rating on the film. Feel free to make of that disparity what you will. And feel free to make your own mind up about "The Woman in the Window" by adding it to your Netflix queue today.