All ready to indulge in a holiday tradition, at least for the last couple of decades? The movie industry discovered that lots of folks do their Christmas festivities the night before and very early (depending on the kiddos maybe dawn) that day, so they want to bag up the ripped-up wrapping paper and head over to the multiplex for a flick, preferably a brand spankin’ (there’s some foreshadowing) new one. Well, that spirited indie upstart A24 (quickly becoming more of a major player) is going to get in on the action. If you’ve been extra nice for this festive season, they’ve got something naughty in store. It appears that they’ve been saving the big star power for the year’s end since they released the steamy QUEER with ex-Bond Daniel Craig a few weeks ago. And now an Oscar winner will be fogging up the auditoriums (rather than shilling for the AMC chain) in the title role of BABYGIRL.
Well, that’s the title’s character’s “role-playing” nickname. To the outside world, she’s a high-powered exec named Romy Mathis (Nicole Kidman). She’s the CEO of a firm touting the benefits of AI in the workforce (hmmm…okay) and is the wife of a successful director of the Broadway stage, Jacob (Antonio Banderas). They have a deluxe Manhatten apartment and a gorgeous country estate upstate which they share with their two daughters. Eighteen-year-old Isabel (Esther McGregor) is a snarky rebel juggling several girlfriends while her kid sister Nora (Vaughan Reilly) is enamored with song and dance. When we first meet Romy and Jacob they’re enjoying some late-night lovemaking. Or so it seems. When she leaves the bedroom for a quick break, she indulges in some rough-content internet porn. The next morning it’s back to life as usual, getting the girls off to school as he prepares a new play. Romy’s got to head to the office, but first, she stops off for some “maintenance” ala facial injections and stripping down in a “freeze chamber”, all to delay “Father Time”. One morning near her offices, Romy is stunned when a stray dog dashes through the crowds to attack someone. Luckily a handsome young man intervenes and calms down the canine before any real damage occurs allowing the pet’s owner to clip its leash back on. Romy is amazed. Later on that day, there’s a “meet and greet” for the interns looking for mentors in the company’s program to develop new talent. Looking them over Romy is baffled when she recognizes one of them as that “dog whisperer” He later walks into her office, introducing himself as Samuel (Harris Dickinson) and informing her that she will be his mentor. Romy calmly states that she’s not one of the mentor candidates, but he strongly insists, putting her “off balance”. He hints that she wants to be instructed which arouses her despite her protests. Thus begins an illicit obsessive affair of dominance between the two. Can they keep it a secret from the rest of the firm? And can Romy hide it from Jacob and her daughters even as Samuel becomes more emboldened and aggressive in his pursuit of her? How far will she go to satisfy her dark desires?
Aside from the Oscar, Ms. Kidman recently received the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, so it’s not a great stretch that in taking this daring role she’s not resting on her laurels. To say Romy is a complex character, full of contradictions and walking a very thin tightrope wouldn’t be an understatement. Kidman cues us into Romy by playing off several online jabs at her own “cosmetic journey”, so kudos for firing back at the trolls (daughter Isabel teases her mom about acquiring bird-like features). Still, Kidman doesn’t make Romy overly sympathetic as her emotional cravings seem to override her common sense, let alone the marital vows. All the while we see how her icy office demeanor is slowly melting away. The person applying that heat is Samuel, played with a snarky aloof quality by Dickinson, who is also very difficult to “read” as withholds any hint of overt passion. the fellow is an enigma, a very closed book, which allows us to debate his motivations. Has he targeted Romy due to an attraction, or is he going to exploit her for a “leg up” in the company? Or is it as simple as wanting major “hush money”? Dickinson barely changes his facial expressions or his tone is order to draw us toward him, much like Romy does. He’s quite a switch from her hubby, the outgoing, fiery Jacob played with great charm and empathy by Banderas. He’s a good man who is confused by this new side of the woman he adores over everything. Also of note in the cast is the talented Sophie Wilde, so compelling in the recent horror film TALK TO ME, as Romy’s assistant Esme. who unknowingly becomes the third member of the office love triangle.
This is the second English-language film directed by Dutch actress Halina Rejin, who also wrote the screenplay. It’s impressive that she’s adept at exploring the business dynamics alongside the inner workings of this upper-class family. And she makes excellent use of the Big Apple settings in addition to the lush greenery of the Mathis vacation home. The film’s main problems come as the story’s main “selling point”, the forbidden affair between the boss and underling kicks in. We’re supposed to be shocked as Romy submits completely to Samuels’s demands, but the encounters lack any real heat. Perhaps we’re meant to see this “power flip” as liberating, but it all feels like a late-night cable movie retread of late 1980’s “erotic explorations”, ala 9 1/2 WEEKS or BASIC INSTINCT. An attempted dose of danger and suspense is injected when Samuel “invades” the family (dropping off an office item) and later when Romy is pawed in a sweaty dance club as she tracks down Samuel, but it amounts to little more than titillation as we see a famous actress being edgy. When Romy’s worlds finally collide the result is more “meh” than gripping. She is supposed to be liberated by embracing her inner yearnings, but the impact on her marriage is somewhat illogical (ok, she can tell off a sleazy, work letch, so there). The film’s marketing promises fiery carnal chaos, but the lack of solid chemistry between the leads barely generates an errant spark or two in the more lurid than lustful BABYGIRL.
1.5 Out of 4
BABYGIRL opens in select theatres on Christmas Day 2024
