The Front Room

Starring: Brandy Norwood, Andrew Burnap, Kathryn Hunter, Neal Huff

Director: Max Eggers & Sam Eggers

Based on the short story "The Front Room" by Susan Hill

After quitting her job due to feeling mistreated because she is pregnant, Professor Belinda (Norwood) and her husband Norman (Burnap) learn that his father has unexpectedly fallen ill and passed. At the funeral, Belinda meets Norman's mother-in-law Solange (Hunter), who Norman had never spoken about due to the religious abuse he suffered at her hands as a child. Now that she is alone and living out her final days, Solange needs someone to look after her. Her proposal is that she moves in with Norman and Belinda and they will receive her large inheritance. While Norman is reluctant to reopen his life to the abusive Solange, their financial woes convince him to take her up on her offer. While Solange appears harmless to Belinda at first, her mother-in-law soon proves to be the monster Norman warned her about as she begins to drive a wedge between them.

Directed by the brothers of acclaimed filmmaker Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse and The Northman), this movie appeared to have a lot going for it. Starting with a strong filmmaking pedigree and a truly promising premise, this should have worked a lot better than it did.

Let's start with the one real positive I was able to find in this surprisingly comedic psychological horror: Kathryn Hunter as Solange. Despite my feelings on the film, she is a force to be reckoned with. After reading the rest of my thoughts on this, one might be surprised to hear me dub it as an award-worthy performance but she truly encapsulates the term Monster-in-Law. Hunter doesn't shy away from the nastier side of Solange, who first torments Belinda subtly before launching into full on psychological and religious warfare and gaslights Belinda every chance she can. I haven't felt as much contempt towards a movie villain in a long time and that is a testament to Hunter's very committed performance.

That's where the good stops for me though. First and foremost, I would low- key call this movie a comedy. Once Solange moves in, it becomes very darkly funny. Well, up to a point. It stops being funny when it becomes the story about an old woman being incontinent and using it as part of her torture of Belinda. It's a very gross gag to continually hit the audience with.

This is also one of the more frustrating movie husbands I have seen in quite some time. Norman starts out against having Solange in the house with them, understanding her motives and how she can manipulate people. He switches tune pretty much as soon as Solange moves in, not believing Belinda when she tells him about the things Solange is doing or could be up to. He becomes more concerned about his job than his pregnant wife at home taking care of his incontinent mother-in-law and it's frankly infuriating.

All of this could have been saved if it stuck the landing. The movie appears to be building to a shocking revelation or showdown at the end. Unfortunately the movie just abruptly ends, and leaves you walking out of the theater asking "Is that it?".

While it was good to see Brandy back on the big screen and Kathryn Hunter is mesmerizing, this disappointing and gross horror-comedy will be quickly forgotten.

Grade: D+