A Photo of Elizabeth Banks Taking Care of Her Skin (CREDIT: IFC Films)
Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Lewis Pullman, Michael Jaé Rodriguez, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Nathan Fillion, John Billingsley, Medalion Rahimi, Wendie Malick
Director: Austin Peters
Running Time: 94 Minutes
Rating: R for Unwanted Dick Pics and Things Spinning Violently Out of Control
Release Date: August 16, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: The skincare business is brutal, especially if you’re Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks). She’s already one of the biggest names in the industry, but as she gets ready to elevate things to the next level, she becomes the victim of some rather extreme sabotage. Her email is hacked, scary people start showing up at her door, and she’s sent a series of unsolicited sexts that leave little to the imagination. It certainly doesn’t help that she’s behind on her rent and that she’s spending beyond her means. She suspects that her new rival (Luis Gerardo Méndez) who just opened a store in the same complex is the one behind it all. But the truth may just be a little more sinister and impenetrable than that.
What Made an Impression?: You Can Lose ‘Em All: Is Hope by any chance related to Job from the Book of Job? That’s as viable an explanation as any that I can surmise to explain all the misfortune befalling her. In addition to the harassment campaign, seemingly every straight man she meets makes an unwanted pass at her, while all of her most loyal clients abandon her one by one. She does bear some responsibility for her dire straits, as she doesn’t exactly have the soundest business model for her current situation, while her efforts for vengeance are misguided, to say the least. But the unceasing tribulation she faces is nothing short of cosmically massive and inescapable.
Was It All a Bad Dream?: There’s something about modern Los Angeles (or at least the version of the city that often ends up on film) that feels perpetually stuck in the 1980s: the blindingly lit-up aesthetic, the artificial peacocking, the greedy Me Decade vibes. Skincare is clearly set in the present day (or at least the past 15 years or so), what with its use of smartphones and ubiquitous email communication. But by situating itself in an industry that still relies on hawking its wares via channels that had their heyday decades ago, there is a surreal out-of-time quality to Hope’s misadventures. Plus, the whole fact that lotions and creams feel like they should be too low-stakes for an unrelenting thriller only further ramps up the cognitive dissonance. Banks’ knack for becoming existentially harried is the perfect fit for grounding us in this nightmarish realm. As someone who suffers from perpetually dry skin, I’m certainly invested in justice being served, and the unreality of it all rings painfully true.
Skincare is Recommended If You Like: A woman suddenly stopping as she realizes that she’s being followed
Grade: 3 out of 5 Facials
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