Looking at how Netflix operates, there was really no other outcome than Sweet Girl rocketing right to the top of the streaming service’s most-watched list. It’s a brand new in-house action thriller with a high concept premise and a proven star in the lead role, which is exactly the sort of criteria that guarantees success on the platform.
The early viewership numbers may have been strong, but the reviews most definitely were not. Sweet Girl holds a weak Rotten Tomatoes score of just 20%, with the movie being heavily criticized for its formulaic plotting, cliched set pieces and poorly-edited action sequences. There is an interesting and unexpected twist late on that takes the third act in a completely different direction that you’d expect, but for the most part it’s standard B-tier genre fare with A-list production values.
However, that hasn’t stopped star Isabela Merced from voicing her desire to return for a sequel. Seeing the actress who played the title character in the Dora the Explorer movie kicking all sorts of ass is pretty jarring at first, but the 20 year-old acquits herself very well. In a new interview, she could barely hide her enthusiasm when asked about her interest in Sweet Girl 2.
“I’m playing empowered characters only. It was so much fun because they got to do a lot of the action scenes and I’ve always loved action movies. This stunt team in particular, they’re called 87eleven and they worked on some of my favorite action movies of all times. So I really felt like, ‘Oh my God, I’m Charlize. Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde‘. Like this is actually happening. It was amazing. I can’t wait. Like maybe there’s going to be a sequel, hopefully there’s time for more action. But like I really hope it’s soon and with the same stunt team, because they were just absolutely amazing and made everything so much fun. I haven’t had so much fun doing my own stunts ever.”
The performances and dynamic between Merced’s Rachel Cooper and Jason Momoa as her father Ray are undoubtedly Sweet Girl‘s strongest suit, with a rote narrative finding itself powered by an unconventional family field trip. It’ll be interesting to see what the four-week figures are, because Netflix could well end up giving the green light to a second installment should fans check out Brian Andrew Mendoza’s feature directorial debut in their droves.
