Directed by : Emerald Fennell

Look how easy that was. I guess you just had to think about it in the right way. I guess it feels different when it's someone you love.


Spoilers ahead..


Cassandra Thomas (an excellent Carey Mulligan), a young woman and a medical school dropout works at a Coffee-Shop. Her life revolves around local bars and nightclubs she goes at night pretending to be drunk and vulnerable, but she is hunting men out who would want to take advantage of her. Soon we realize that she has had a bad past involving a school time best friend Nina, and she is out to get revenge for what happened to her. 

For some minutes, you do feel if Cassandra is some psycho or anti-men kind lady who is trying to dispose off the trash, or does she? Because we ain't shown what she does with them once guys realize she is very sober. There's this hilarious scene where she asks the  guy 'You still wanna fuck me?' and he replies back scared to death 'No, Thank you, madam.' 

The revenge angle begins when Ryan (Bo Burnham) who was in same medical school, meets Cassandra at coffee-shop as she learns the main culprit Al Monroe (Chris Lowell) is getting married, though it makes me wonder why would she wait to hear about him and others letting almost more than a decade pass by, rather going hunting them to take the revenge much sooner. Or did she never thought about it until learning how happy they are, which isn't right..

I like how the movie tries to draw a thin line about how to differentiate between good and bad men, because bad ones you know are direct, but then the good ones are hiding behind a mask and wanna be bad too. So, in a way the good men are further divided into two categories, one who are actually good and one who ain't. The very first scene shows exactly that, and later on we see same with Ryan, a very cool rom-com kind subplot only to later know how he was too involved in Nina's case. 

Enjoyed all the ways she choses to take revenge, whether its Madison (Alison Brie) or Dean Walker (Connie Britton), both of whom Cassandra gives a chance through conversation if they felt regret over these goneby years which they both didn't. 

Debutant director Emerald Fennell narrates the story in a dark comedy tone keeping a balance throughout. We see Cassandra getting a 'suitcase' by her parents for a wierd birthday gift, which she calls metaphor for being told to leave home. Or that funny and awkward dinner scene of Ryan at Cassandra's place with her parents. 

The use of songs is very well done too, whether its the 'Boys' (Droeloe remix) or the cool direct stare Cassandra gives to the dirty mouthed construction working men while walking on the road casually eating burger  and 'Its Raining Men' (DeathbyRomy) playing in background. Also, love the use of 'Toxic' and 'Angel of the Morning' right at the end. 

Carey Mulligan really excels in her performance, making this even better watch, love her body language, the two sides we see of her, one that hates trashy men, the kind responsible for Nina not to be around her, and other that loves men like Ryan because they appear sweet and just the kind she wants to be around with. Love when she kicks the trash can thinking Ryan is also another of the assholes. And then that final nurse/doctor act was wonderful to watch!

My only one complain was we never get to see any scenes of Nina with Cassandra, some flashbacks would have been nice, whether before that incident or after it, just to give more insight into what Nina meant for Cassandra, for which she had abandoned her life. 

The ending was very good, for a moment I felt maybe they were making a mistake of spoiling the whole film by letting Cassandra lose eventually and not get the justice for Nina, but the surprise at wedding, how Cassandra had PlanB if all went wrong was well executed, and I would say more real than it would had been if she succeeded directly. 

Promising Young Woman worked for me as a drama told in a darkish comedy tone with a revenge angle and a reminder about not to fall for fake good appearances. 

My Rating : 7.5/10