Lowen Ashleigh, hired to ghostwrite for Verity Crawford, uncovers what appears to be Verity’s autobiographical notes. She wrestles with confessions about Verity’s husband and finds it hard to separate fiction from reality.
As a film critic, sometimes you have to commend something when it’s executed very well, even if the source material isn’t your cup of tea. Based on Colleen Hoover’s 2018 novel of the same name, “Verity” adapts surprisingly well to the big screen, boasting strong performances, slick camerawork, and storytelling that maintains the spirit of Hoover’s novel while delivering an enjoyably twisted erotic thriller.
Dakota Johnson stars as struggling author Lowen Ashleigh, who’s hired by the publishing team of bestselling novelist Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway) to complete her latest book after a mysterious accident leaves her unable to do so. Lowen then moves into the Crawford family home to sift through Verity’s notes and unfinished manuscripts, putting her close to Verity’s handsome, mysterious husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett). It’s not hard to see where things are headed from there.
But director Michael Showalter understands that “Verity”’s pleasure isn’t necessarily in where it’s going, but in how the mystery unfolds and how deliciously uncomfortable things become along the way. The audience follows Lowen as she uncovers something sinister and is left to gauge the nature of the discovery or wonder whether she is slowly losing her grip on reality.
Johnson is perfectly suited to Lowen’s questioning, increasingly obsessive personality, while Hartnett brings the right combination of charm, grief, and mystery to Jeremy. But this is Hathaway’s movie. She devours the role of Verity, weaponizing everything from a vacant stare to the slightest facial movement. Whether Verity is a victim, manipulator, or something far more complicated becomes the question hanging over nearly every scene, and the film relishes keeping us guessing.
There’s also something refreshingly old-fashioned about “Verity.” Hollywood once regularly produced glossy, sexually charged thrillers like “Basic Instinct,” “Fatal Attraction,” and “Sliver,” movies filled with beautiful people making spectacularly bad decisions in expensive houses. “Verity” enthusiastically resurrects that tradition without feeling like a parody of it.
This movie is pulpy, melodramatic, sexy, and occasionally ridiculous—and those qualities are features, not bugs. Showalter embraces the lurid nature of Hoover’s story instead of apologizing for it, steadily tightening the screws until the revelations begin piling up.
“Verity” may not convert anyone who instinctively recoils at the words “Colleen Hoover adaptation,” but as a sleek adult thriller, it works remarkably well. Sometimes trashy entertainment can be crafted with real skill. Verity is an entertaining thrill ride with three great performances, especially from Hathaway.
In Theaters Friday, October 2nd
