Promising Young Woman has been declared "Certified Fresh," as critics seem to love the bold storytelling. The 2020 rape-revenge film was written and directed by Emerald Fennell, who is best known for portraying Camilla Parker Bowles in The Crown, and for serving as the Killing Eve season 2 showrunner. Based on the collective reviews thus far, Promising Young Woman succeeds with a strong central performance and subversive second-half twists.
In Promising Young Woman, Cassie Thomas plots against her former college classmates who covered up the sexual assault of her best friend. She also targets sexual predators in her community, hoping to heal her emotional wounds from the past. But when Cassie tries to develop a relationship with a seemingly-normal doctor, it becomes evident that she's more invested in revenge than a traditional romance. Promising Young Woman co-stars Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, and Laverne Cox.
As of now, Promising Young Woman holds a 92% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on over 140 reviews. Critics point out Fennell's willingness to explore difficult subject matter, all the while incorporating dark comedy to make the scenes even more challenging. Reviews have also highlighted Mulligan's lead performance as Cassie - a character who makes some rather surprising decisions from beginning to end. The narrative includes familiar story beats about predatory men who are protected by their circle of friends, yet Fennell includes numerous twists to keep the audience guessing, especially during the shocking climax. For the most part, critics have praised Fennell's risky filmmaking. Here are some glowing takes on Promising Young Woman.
"Say this much for Fennell: She is incapable of pulling punches. Even when they're swaddled in the puffiest, fuzziest of gloves, her blows land with gut-wrenching force."
"The revelation of 'Promising Young Woman' is that its heightened reality feels more real - closer to actual reality - than comedy or drama."
"Emerald Fennell has channeled the zeitgeist of the Me Too movement into a daring thriller that critiques rape culture and the rape-revenge subgenre...Promising Young Woman is a knockout."
"How much is too much? Fennell hasn't quite figured that out, which makes the film all the more intriguing."
"The film's empowerment fantasy of a woman who steamrolls male egos is as stylish and fun as its portrait of gender relations is dire."
Despite the acclaim, plenty of reviews have criticized Fennell for prioritizing style over substance. For example, there's a strong lead performance and a premise that's always timely, yet some don't seem impressed with the overall depth. Mulligan delivers one of the finest performances of her career, yet questions have been raised about the quality of the supporting cast's stories; Fennell introduces numerous characters whose stories mostly go unexplored. Promising Young Woman is accessible and unique, but - according to some critics - the stylized approach results in a flimsy script. Here are some skeptical takes about the filmmaker's directorial debut, which was co-produced by actress Margot Robbie.
"Ultimately, Fennell's debut is a noble effort weakened by a short-sighted adherence to old ideas of crime and punishment."
"The ending manages to be both so bitter it curdles the whole picture but also cowardly in its crowd-pleasing wish-fulfilment."
"Fennell's directorial debut starts entertainingly... but it quickly morphs into an ill-judged exploitation film that doesn't so much subvert the casual misogyny of the genre as as reinforce its tropes."
"While I appreciated certain aspects of this highly stylized revenge tale, I ultimately found that it didn't have anything particularly interesting to say."
Promising Young Woman may have plenty of perceived flaws, but it's a memorable directorial debut that will provoke conversations about crime and punishment. Importantly, it's not just males who protect males in the film, as Fennell includes multiple female characters who are indeed complicit. The revenge storyline is the primary focus and will undoubtedly hook many curious viewers, but Promising Young Woman is also about mercy and accountability, evidenced by numerous sequences that end with conflict resolution instead of ultra-violence.