Verity review

 

In a way Verity reminded me so much of last years movie The Housemaid. Woman goes to stay with a husband and wife where things begin to slowly happen and turn ugly it's very much the same here in a sense as Verity tells the story of three people interconnected by truth, despair and other ungodly antics. Dakota Johnson stars as a young woman hired to be the ghost writer for a renowned author played by Anne Hathaway who after suffering a tragic accident has been left paralyzed. What follows pretty much your run of the mill will they won't they plot with Johnson's character and Hathaway's husband who is played by Josh Hartnett. It's pretty slick in style but it really lacks in any sort of real substance as for the most part it's just rather mundane and boring what is unfortunate.

Verity suffers from not truly knowing what it is at the core of it's narrative. Is it an erotic thriller? no really no, is it a dramatic piece? more so but still not really as it bounces all over the place and is pretty poorly written and acted for the most part with not at all likable characters. Maybe that was the point here but it just didn't do anything for me all culminating in a movie that not only feels half baked but underdone as it's many twists and turns I saw a mile coming. 

Verity isn't bad per say but it's really nothing special. Performances are pretty poor and it's narrative is all over the place but given I've never read the book perhaps that's the point here I don't entirely know. With everything being said if you're a fan of the book you'll probably get something a lot more out of Verity than I did. It just felt so one note to me which is unfortunate like I said. Slick and stylish doesn't always make for a good movie on it's own and Verity definitely needed something stronger injected into it. 

★★