It’s difficult for any filmmaking team to put a unique stamp on a setup that’s baked into the DNA of its chosen genre, but looking at the reactions from both critics and audiences to 2016’s When the Bough Breaks, you might be left wondering if writer Jack Olsen and director Jon Cassar even tried.
The psychological thriller was panned into the ground to the tune of a 12 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, and while the user rating signaled that viewers were a lot more forgiving, 45 percent is still far from stellar. It was at least a profitable small scale hit, though, recouping a shade over $30 million at the box office on thrifty production costs of just $11 million.
In another minor triumph, When the Bough Breaks has also been transfixing Netflix subscribers this week. As per FlixPatrol, the resoundingly cliched and borderline unintentionally hilarious story of jealousy, revenge, wrath, and retribution has ascended onto the platform’s global charts after stalking the Top 10 most-watched list in multiple countries.
As has been seen and done countless times before, a successful and happy couple played by Morris Chestnut and Regina Hall hire a young woman to be their surrogate to fulfill their desperate desire to start a family. Naturally, Jaz Sinclair’s Anna becomes increasingly infatuated with the husband, an obsession that ultimately forces the Taylors into a dangerous and potentially deadly bout of mind games with the person who literally carries their hopes and dreams for the future inside her.
One dimensional, far-fetched, and perilously silly, When the Bough Breaks boasts little in the way of psychology, and even fewer thrills.
Published: Aug 9, 2022 03:30 am