Promising Young Woman

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Promising Young Woman is a 2020 American thriller film written, co-produced, and directed by Emerald Fennell in her feature directorial debut. It stars Carey Mulligan as a young woman haunted by a traumatic past as she navigates balancing forgiveness and vengeance. It also features Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge, Laverne Cox, and Connie Britton in supporting roles.

Promising Young Woman had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2020, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 25, 2020, by Focus Features. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its screenplay, direction, and Mulligan's performance, and grossed $17 million worldwide. The film won Best Original Screenplay at the 93rd Academy Awards, with additional nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Mulligan), and Best Film Editing. Fennell also won Best Original Screenplay at the Critics' Choice Awards, Writers' Guild Awards, and British Academy Film Awards.

Plot

Cassie Thomas, a 30-year-old medical school dropout, lives with her parents and works at a coffee shop in Ohio. Seven years earlier, her classmate, Al Monroe, raped her best friend and classmate, Nina Fisher. There was no investigation by the school or consequences from the legal system, causing Nina to commit suicide. Now, Cassie spends her nights feigning drunkenness in clubs and bars, allowing predatory men to take her to their homes and revealing her sobriety when they try to take advantage of her.

Cassie goes on a date with another former classmate turned pediatric surgeon, Ryan Cooper, who mentions Al is getting married. She begins a plan to exact revenge on Al and others who were responsible for him getting away with the rape. She meets another former classmate, Madison McPhee, who continues to deny that Nina was raped. Cassie gets Madison drunk and hires a man to take Madison to a hotel room. With no memory of what happened, Madison leaves several distraught voicemails for Cassie, who does not answer them.

Cassie next targets Elizabeth Walker, the school dean who dismissed Nina's case for "lack of evidence". Cassie lures her teenage daughter, Amber, into her car by posing as a makeup artist for a popular band. Later, she meets Walker under the pretense of resuming her education and questions her about Nina's case. When Walker explains away her actions, Cassie tells her she dropped Amber off at a dorm room with drunk male students. A terrified Walker apologizes for her inaction, and Cassie reveals Amber is safe at a diner. Cassie cancels a date with Ryan and instead again lures a man into taking her home. As they are walking out of the bar, they run into Ryan, who, not knowing what is really happening, is hurt.

Cassie visits Jordan Green, Al's lawyer, who harassed Nina into dropping the charges. Green, on leave from practicing law after a nervous breakdown following Nina's suicide, is remorseful, and Cassie forgives him. After visiting Nina's mother, who urges her to move on, Cassie abandons her revenge plans. She also apologizes to Ryan, and they fall in love.

Madison confronts Cassie outside her house, desperate to know what happened after their lunch. Cassie reassures her that nothing happened. Madison gives her an old phone containing a video of Nina's rape before warning her to never contact her again. Watching it, Cassie sees Ryan as a bystander. She confronts him and threatens to release the video unless he tells her where Al's bachelor party is being held. Ryan tells her and begs for her forgiveness, but Cassie refuses.

Cassie arrives at Al's bachelor party posing as a stripper. She drugs Al's friends and takes Al upstairs. She handcuffs him to a bed and eventually reveals her identity. As she prepares to carve "Nina" onto Al's abdomen, he breaks free and suffocates her with a pillow. The next morning, Al's best friend, Joe, helps him burn Cassie's body. Her parents file a missing person report and the police begin to investigate. Ryan tells them Cassie was mentally disturbed and does not tell them she was going to the bachelor party.

At Al's wedding, Ryan receives several scheduled texts from Cassie. Green is shown receiving a package from Cassie with the video of Nina's rape and instructions to follow if she does not return from the bachelor party. Gail, Cassie's manager and friend, finds a half heart-shaped necklace with Cassie's name under the cash register; Cassie was wearing the matching half with Nina's name when she was killed. The police discover her burnt remains and the necklace, and arrest Al for the murder as Ryan receives a final text from Cassie, signed with her and Nina's names.

Cast

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Production

File:Emerald Fennell25-03-2013 MarkJones (cropped).jpg
Writer and director Emerald Fennell

Emerald Fennell devised the concept of the film in 2017, and sold the script to Margot Robbie's production company LuckyChap Entertainment after pitching the opening scene.[7] In January 2019, it was announced Carey Mulligan had been set to star in the film, with Fennell directing.[8] In March 2019, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Connie Britton, Adam Brody, Jennifer Coolidge, Laverne Cox, Max Greenfield, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Sam Richardson, and Molly Shannon joined the cast,[9] with Angela Zhou and Clancy Brown being added in April.[10][11] Principal photography began in Los Angeles on March 26, 2019,[12] lasting 23 days.[13] The majority of exterior shots were filmed at Campus South, part of the Lanterman property at Cal Poly Pomona.[14]

According to Carrie Wittmer of The Ringer, the film production crew deliberately chose male actors who previously played characters known as good or wholesome to reinforce the idea that predators can be anyone.[15]

Fennell created "mood boards" to illustrate to the crew how Cassie has wildly different facets of her personality.[16]

Originally, Fennell planned to end the film at the time Cassie's body was burned, but the production's financiers balked at having a negative ending. She also considered an ending where Cassie appears at the wedding and kills the men responsible but deemed it unrealistic. She decided to have the ending where Cassie has a backup revenge plan as she felt Cassie would be thorough in her planning and she would be aware she could die. Additionally, Fennell stated that having Al apprehended at his wedding would reflect Cassie's sense of humor.[17]

Release

In February 2019, Focus Features acquired distribution rights to the film.[18] It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2020.[19] It was initially scheduled to be released theatrically on April 17, 2020,[20] but was pulled from the schedule due to the initial closures of movie theaters that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.[21] It was theatrically released on December 25, 2020, instead,[22] and on video on demand on January 15, 2021.[23][24] The Blu-ray was released on March 16, 2021.[25]

Reception

Box office

Promising Young Woman grossed $6.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $10.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $17.2 million.[5][6]

In North America, the film was released alongside Wonder Woman 1984, News of the World, and Pinocchio, and was projected to gross around $2 million in its opening weekend.[26] It went on to debut to $719,305, finishing fifth at the box office. Some 63% of the audience were female, and 74% were aged over 25.[27] The film dropped 4.4% in its second weekend to $687,900, then made $586,285 in its third weekend, finishing sixth both times.[28][29] The film continued to hold well in the subsequent weekends, including seeing a 16% bump following its four Golden Globe nominations, with a running total of $5.1 million by February 21.[30]

Critical response

File:Carey Mulligan - 2018 (45646489364) (cropped).jpg
Carey Mulligan's performance garnered widespread critical acclaim and earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Promising Young Woman received critical acclaim.[31][32] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Promising Young Woman holds an approval score of Lua error in Module:Rotten_Tomatoes_data at line 72: invalid escape sequence near '"^'. based on Lua error in Module:Rotten_Tomatoes_data at line 72: invalid escape sequence near '"^'. reviews, and an average rating of Lua error in Module:Rotten_Tomatoes_data at line 72: invalid escape sequence near '"^'.. The site's critics consensus reads, "A boldly provocative, timely thriller, Promising Young Woman is an auspicious feature debut for writer-director Emerald Fennell – and a career highlight for Carey Mulligan."[33] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 48 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[34] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported 73% of those surveyed gave the film a positive score, with 43% saying they would definitely recommend it.[27]

Kate Erbland of IndieWire gave the film a "B+" and wrote "Emerald Fennell's raucous debut, Promising Young Woman, twists its buzzword-laden, spoiler-free synopsis—it's a #MeToo rape revenge thriller with bite!—into something fresh and totally wild."[35] Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Justin Chang said "The grimly multitasking finale of Promising Young Woman feels both audacious and uncertain of itself, as Fennell tries to meld a cackle of delight and a blast of fury, with a lingering residue of anguish. It doesn't all come together, though there's an undeniable thrill in seeing it come apart."[36] Linda Holmes of NPR wrote that while Cassie is the film's focus, "Fennell is saying something here, too, about men. About nice men and about men who think they're nice men, or nice enough men."[37]

In Variety, Dennis Harvey praised Mulligan's performance as "skillful, entertaining and challenging", but questioned her casting, writing that she wore her "pickup-bait gear like bad drag; even her long blonde hair seems a put-on". He speculated that producer Margot Robbie may have once been intended for the role instead. Mulligan criticized the comment, saying, "I felt like it was basically saying that I wasn't hot enough to pull off this kind of ruse ... For this film, you're going to write something that is so transparent? Now? In 2020? I just couldn't believe it." Variety issued an apology, saying the review had been insensitive and "minimized" her "daring performance".[38] The National Society of Film Critics defended Harvey's review and criticized Variety's apology. Harvey responded to Mulligan's comments in The Guardian: "I did not say or even mean to imply Mulligan is 'not hot enough' for the role.'" He pointed out that he was a 60-year-old gay man and did not "go around dwelling on the comparative hotnesses of young actresses".[39]

Aisha Harris of NPR stated that Cassie does not get satisfaction from her acts of revenge, something differing from characters in other thrillers where characters take revenge.[40] A. A. Dowd of The A.V. Club stated that Ryan Cooper initially is contrasted with predatory men and "represents the possibility of forgiveness, a light at the end of the dark tunnel [Cassie has] been traveling through since college."[41][42] In regards to why Ryan chooses to cover for his friends when the police interview him, Fennell said: "He so wants to be good. But he’s not going to blow up his own life."[17] In regards to the reveal showing his true character, Dowd said: "Even those who didn’t participate are complicit for their silence, their justifications, their refusal to intervene."[41] Dowd added that the casting of Burnham, who "comes across as nonthreatening" and has "a boyish quality," assisted the use of the character.[41] Harris stated that Christopher Mintz-Plasse's portrayal of Neil had "just the right amount of creepy, entitled energy."[40]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards April 25, 2021 Best Picture Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell, and Josey McNamara Nominated [43]
Best Director Emerald Fennell Nominated
Best Actress Carey Mulligan Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Emerald Fennell Won [44]
Best Film Editing Frédéric Thoraval Nominated [43]
AACTA Awards March 6, 2021 Best International Film Won [45]
Best International Direction Emerald Fennell Nominated
Best International Screenplay Nominated
Best International Actress Carey Mulligan Won
American Cinema Editors Awards April 17, 2021 Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy Frédéric Thoraval Nominated [46]
Art Directors Guild Awards April 10, 2021 Excellence in Production Design for a Contemporary Film Michael T. Perry Nominated [47]
Austin Film Critics Association March 19, 2021 Best Film Nominated [48][49]
Best Director Emerald Fennell Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Best Actress Carey Mulligan Won
Best First Film Won
British Academy Film Awards April 11, 2021 Best Film Ben Browning, Emerald Fennell, Ashley Fox, and Josey McNamara Nominated [50]
Best Original Screenplay Emerald Fennell Won
Best Casting Mary Vernieu and Lindsay Graham Ahanonu Nominated
Best Editing Frédéric Thoraval Nominated
Best Original Music Anthony Willis Nominated
Outstanding British Film Emerald Fennell, Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, and Josey McNamara Won
Casting Society of America April 15, 2021 Feature Studio Or Independent – Drama Mary Vernieu and Lindsay Graham Ahanonu Nominated [51]
Chicago Film Critics Association December 21, 2020 Best Picture Nominated [52]
Best Director Emerald Fennell Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Best Actress Carey Mulligan Nominated
Milos Stehlik Award for Promising Filmmaker Emerald Fennell Won
Costume Designers Guild Awards April 13, 2021 Excellence in Contemporary Film Nancy Steiner Won [53]
Critics' Choice Movie Awards March 7, 2021 Best Picture Nominated [54]
Best Director Emerald Fennell Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Won
Best Actress Carey Mulligan Won
Best Costume Design Nancy Steiner Nominated
Best Makeup Nominated
Directors Guild of America Awards April 10, 2021 Outstanding Directing – Feature Film Emerald Fennell Nominated [55]
Dorian Awards April 18, 2021 Best Film Nominated [56]
Best Director Emerald Fennell Nominated
Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted) Won
Best Film Performance – Actress Carey Mulligan Won
Florida Film Critics Circle December 21, 2020 Best Actress Runner-up [57]
Best Original Screenplay Emerald Fennell Nominated
Best First Film Won
Golden Globe Awards February 28, 2021 Best Motion Picture – Drama Nominated [58]
Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Carey Mulligan Nominated
Best Director Emerald Fennell Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Hollywood Critics Association March 5, 2021 Best Picture Won [59]
Best Female Director Emerald Fennell Nominated
Best Actress Carey Mulligan Won
Best Supporting Actor Bo Burnham Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Emerald Fennell Won
Best Editing Frédéric Thoraval Nominated
Best Hair & Makeup Promising Young Woman Nominated
Best Cast Ensemble Nominated
Best First Feature Emerald Fennell Won
Filmmaker On The Rise Won
Hollywood Music in Media Awards January 27, 2021 Best Music Supervision – Film Nominated [60]
Best Soundtrack Album Won
Independent Spirit Awards April 22, 2021 Best Director Emerald Fennell Nominated [61]
Best Female Lead Carey Mulligan Won
Best Screenplay Emerald Fennell Won
London Film Critics' Circle February 7, 2021 Film of the Year Nominated [62]
Actress of the Year Carey Mulligan Nominated
British/Irish Actress of the Year Nominated
Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker of the Year Emerald Fennell Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association December 20, 2020 Best Actress Carey Mulligan Won [63]
Best Screenplay Emerald Fennell Won
Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild April 3, 2021 Best Contemporary Make-Up in a Feature-Length Motion Picture Angela Wells, Brigitte Hennech, and Adam Christopher Nominated [64]
Best Contemporary Hair Styling in a Feature-Length Motion Picture Daniel Curet, Bryson Conley, and Lee Ann Brittenham Nominated
MTV Movie & TV Awards May 16, 2021 Best Movie Nominated [65]
Best Performance in a Movie Carey Mulligan Nominated
National Board of Review January 26, 2021 Best Actress Carey Mulligan Won [66]
Palm Springs International Film Festival February 27, 2021 International Star Award Carey Mulligan Won
Producers Guild of America Award March 24, 2021 Best Theatrical Motion Picture Josey McNamara, Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, and Emerald Fennell Nominated [67]
Santa Barbara International Film Festival April 8, 2021 Cinema Vanguard Award Carey Mulligan Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards April 4, 2021 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Carey Mulligan Nominated [68]
Seattle Film Critics Society February 15, 2021 Best Picture of the Year Nominated [69]
Best Director Emerald Fennell Nominated
Best Actress Carey Mulligan Nominated
Best Screenplay Emerald Fennell Won
Set Decorators Society of America Awards March 31, 2021 Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Contemporary Feature Film Rae Deslich and Michael T. Perry Won [70]
Toronto Film Critics Association February 7, 2021 Best First Feature Emerald Fennell Nominated [71]
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association February 8, 2021 Best Film Nominated
Best Director Emerald Fennell Nominated
Best Actress Carey Mulligan Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Emerald Fennell Won
Writers Guild of America Awards March 21, 2021 Best Original Screenplay Won [72]
Goya Awards February 12, 2022 Best European Film Nominated [73]

This film was longlisted in 13 categories at the 74th British Academy Film Awards, including Best Director for Fennell, Best Actress for Mulligan, and Best Supporting Actor for Burnham.[74]

Notes

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References

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Further reading

  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (PDF of the script)

External links

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  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  67. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  68. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  70. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  74. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.


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