Colleen Hoover’s books have provided much content for movie studios and the latest film from Amazon MGM is another foray into her world. Verity introduces us to struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson) who gets the opportunity of a lifetime when she’s approached to to be a ghostwriter for renowned author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway) following a tragic accident. The assignment takes a dark turn when Lowen goes through Verity’s notes for guidance on where to go while writing for her franchise and discovers chilling autobiographical notes about the nature of her marriage to her husband Jeremy (Josh Hartnett) and her relationship with her kids.
It’s important for a thriller to deliver the thrills and Verity mostly delivers on that front. The first act serves to establish the premise of the film, bringing all of its characters together to begin executing its narrative, and that’s enough to follow along until the first of many twists hits at about an hour into its runtime. The reveal of Verity’s inner thoughts toward her children and her narcissistic tendencies not only liven up the film and draw in audience interest, but her character feels topical to an almost eerie extent; the timing of this film’s release couldn’t have been more fortuitous. The buildup results in intrigue as the audience is left waiting to see what comes next and how Lowen will react to the revelations as they continue to be unveiled. This results in an investment from the audience that pays off in an explosive third act and the final story twist that calls into question what the actual truth is.
While the thriller part of Verity was enough to keep audiences intrigued, the erotic part of the story mostly falls flat. Is there sex? Yes. Is the film sexy? Not particularly. What Verity misses is the sensuality and seductiveness that make an erotic thriller titillating. Part of the issue is that Johnson, Hartnett, and Hathaway lack believable chemistry that makes viewers feel as if they can resist each other or have a high level of attraction and that lack of tension shows in the physical interaction. There’s also a lack of buildup in the sexual tension, instead feeling like any sexual contact that happens occurs because it’s the part of the story where it makes sense to happen rather than the characters’ feelings for each other dictating it. Erotic thrillers must feel sexy, they can’t just be it without something pushing it.
The performances in the film are decent enough, but nothing to write home about. Hartnett and Hathaway are good enough by their standards which makes Johnson normally subdued and understated acting stick out a little more negatively here. The gulf between the former two and Johnson can feel substantial at times, not constant throughout, but enough to be noticeable more than it should be. Verity’s twists power this film through its many flaws, from middle of the road performances to unsexy eroticism. It’s a movie that does enough to entertain but may not justify a trip to the multiplex for all.
Image: Amazon MGM Studios
