Spunky and rebellious Becky tries to reconnect with her father during a weekend getaway at a lakefront house. But the trip soon takes a turn for the worse when convicts on the run, led by the merciless Dominick, suddenly invade the home.
As soon as I saw this film was about escaped convicts at a lakehouse, I had flashbacks to when I was eight years old watching an at-the-time scary thriller called Firestorm. Nostalgia is a pain sometimes, as Becky was unable to bring that same level of adrenaline and excitement. Of course, it is not fair to compare two different films, especially when they are on two completely different ends of the spectrum with regards to budget and scale. That being said, Becky only scratches the surface of its own potential.
When you look at the cast, Joel McHale and Kevin James are a surprising choice for the film. Both are playing against their usual typecast role, James going to the furthest point; from a silly, comedic protagonist to the sullen, racially bigoted antagonist of the film. Unfortunately, due to some lacklustre scriptwriting from trio Nick Morris, Lane Skye, and Ruckus Skye, these unlikely roles aren't taken advantage of.
There are so many cases of comedians having Oscar-worthy performances when they take on more dramatic roles; such as Seth Rogen in Steve Jobs, Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Steve Carell in Foxcatcher, or Robin Williams in One Hour Photo and Insomnia. Comedians, while often known for overexaggerating and being over-the-top in their performances (especially when physical humour is involved), excel at serious and dramatic roles thanks to their superior understanding of the emotional context of a scene. While I have literally hated everything I have ever seen Kevin James do (Pixels, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry, Grown Ups, The King Of Queens), simply seeing James taking on a serious role with a shaved head and full beard...it gave me hope. Hope that didn't quite pan out.
While the likes of Robin Williams and Jim Carrey can easily portray joy and happiness, they can also switch on a dime towards something darker, more sinister. James simply doesn't have the same effect. Everything that raises red flags and tells you that he is the antagonist comes from his appearance (tattoos), instead of coming from his actions. Where there was an opportunity to really delve into what made his character a bad person, James is a soft-spoken antagonist that delegates anything "evil" to his minions, whose pep talks would fit better if he was a bear (a hairy, heavy-set gay or bisexual man). There is nothing overwhelmingly threatening and without a strong antagonist, the film lacks the proper stakes for this thriller.
What it does do, on the other hand, is allow LuluWilson to take the spotlight. You may recognise her from The Haunting of Hill House, Annabelle: Creation, Ouija: Origin of Evil, and Deliver Us From Evil, but in Becky she is completely at home. Becky is a 13-year-old with pupils so dilated that her entire aura reeks of "medicated to compliance". As you would expect with any scenario involving someone that has medication withheld, her behaviour becomes increasingly aggressive and unstable as we reach the tipping point, where all hell breaks loose. Again, the script gives very little room for character development, and while Becky is the highlight of the film, we never get to see a full transition from one state to the other.
Greta Zozula's cinematography is competently crafted, with an almost hazy desaturated filter that juxtaposes the warmth of a family trip to the lake house, and the coldness of premeditated murder and assault. The colour palette and direction are well executed, but it isn't enough to overcome the weaknesses of the script. Underdeveloped characters all-around mean anyone could be churned out as meat for the grinder in this gritty, gory thriller, but it is a double-edged sword as it also means you don't care if any of them die as you don't connect with them.
There is a fair amount of gore in Becky and it works well to keep a level of intrigue and excitement as the film progresses, but there are certainly some scenes that feel extraneous and out of place; as if it was put in simply to fill in time, with no effect on the storyline at all. Becky exists as a film because of its MacGuffin (is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself). How the MacGuffin gets where it is, is unknown. What it does is never explained. Why people are willing to kill or die for it is unknown. Is it a weapon, a vehicle, documents, or money? Any explanation would raise the stakes, but the unknown nature means this lakehouse horror story is unlikely to go any further than that.
A fun premise that had the opportunity for some established actors to stretch their wings and excel in a new field, but the script keeps them chained down in this serviceable, but underutilized story. Still worth a watch; go in with low expectations, and you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Becky is in cinemas from September 17
Originally posted to: https://djin.nz/Kr8704