Movie Review - The Woman in the Window (2021)

This is not to be confused with The Woman in the Window (1944), a film noir starring Edward G. Robinson. No, this is an adaptation of a 2018 novel, written by A. J. Finn whose real name is Daniel Mallory. However, a year after the book was published, an article in The New Yorker magazine exposed Mallory as a chronic liar who deceived co-workers and others in order to advance his career. There was also some perceived plagiarism in his book, but, there didn't seem to be any lawsuits or all that much of a backlash. Mallory just seems to be a smart but troubled gay man with health issues both with himself and within his family. Tony Award-winner and Pulitzer Prize-winner, Tracy Letts wrote the screenplay. Until now, Letts has been adapting his own plays into feature films. This is Letts' first time adapting anything other than his own work and indeed his first time translating a novel.

I can understand why Letts might be attracted to Mallory's book. It's dealing with similar themes as Bug (2007), the adaptation of Letts' play about a man suffering from a mental illness and his eventual spiral into madness. I would say though that this is a step down from the usual epic stories that director Joe Wright normally tells. Wright has done book adaptations, but those books have been by classic authors like Jane Austen and Leo Tolstoy. It feels rather beneath him to adapt what could be considered pulp fiction or a beach read. I suppose the thinking that if David Fincher could do the same with Gone Girl (2014), then Wright could do it too. Gone Girl was a trashy story about murder that Fincher did in his slick, glossy way and shined it up into a hit and an Oscar-nominee. If nothing else, Gone Girl provided a vehicle for his female star. That appears to be somewhat of the case here.

Amy Adams (American Hustle and Enchanted) stars as Anna Fox, a child psychologist who is herself seeing a psychologist. The reason is because she is agoraphobic, meaning she is scared to go outside. This stems from some traumatic experience in her past. Ever since that traumatic event, she has not left her house. She lives in a fairly large brownstone in Harlem, which she hasn't left in some time, although the film never establishes how long it's been since she's left. She can work from home. Her therapist even comes to her. Of course, she has everything delivered to her. To help supplement her income, she has a tenant, a young man who lives in her basement.

Things start to change when she gets new neighbors who move in across the street from her. In fact, her new neighbors live directly across from her, so she can look out her front windows and see directly into their windows. What follows is a knock-off of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954), which this film references. This film actually references other Hitchcock films directly too like Spellbound (1945), which is why Wright might have been attracted to the material. It was his chance to do his version of a Hitchcock thriller. The ending could even be compared to that of Psycho (1960).

Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour and The Dark Knight) co-stars as Alistair Russell, the patriarch to the family that moves across the street from Anna. It's strongly suggested that he is an abusive father and husband who is taking out physical aggression on his wife and teenage son. His son in particular comes over to visit Anna and it's obvious, almost too obvious that the teenage son is abused, which causes Anna to want to keep watch over Alistair and his house.

This setup seems like it's going to lead to an incredible tête-à-tête between Anna and Alistair that could have been in the vein of something like Gaslight (1944), Rosemary's Baby (1968) or even something like I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020). Yet, where it goes is ultimately the film puttering out to the lamest and to the trashiest and most pulpy conclusion that it could have had.

The film began with a lot of potential. I felt that Adams was going to give a performance and a role that would be akin to that of Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins in The Father (2021). I also felt that Adams was going to give a performance that was akin to Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). Letts' script and Wright's direction certainly tee up that possibility. Adams does her level best to deliver and in many ways she does. Unfortunately, the story collapses in the final act. Collapsing is actually too generous a word. Everything just fizzles or farts its way to the end.

 

Again, it wants to be Psycho by the end, but it goes way over-the-top and devolves into farce and ridiculousness rather than true terror or true psychological deconstruction. The whole thing devolves into schlock. Adams makes for a good scream queen. Maybe, schlock was Wright's intention from the start, but it felt like his intention was more toward prestige. The film also wastes actresses like Julianne Moore and Jennifer Jason Leigh in thankless parts. Leigh though really gets the short end of the stick.

Rated R for violence and language.

Running Time: 1 hr. and 41 mins.

Available on Netflix.