THE FRONT ROOM (2024)
Starring Brandy Norwood, Andrew Burnap, Neal Huff, Kathryn Hunter, David Manis, Mary Catherine Wright, Ellen J. Maddow, Mary Testa, Morgen McKynzie, Kerry Flanagan, Rueby Wray, Chasity Monroe Orr, Charlize Essence Orr, Scottie DiGiacomo, Toree Hill, Desi Ramos and the voice of Wendy Heagy.
Screenplay by Max Eggers & Sam Eggers.
Directed by Max Eggers & Sam Eggers.
Distributed by A24. Pictures. 95 minutes. Rated R.
That is 95 minutes of my life that I will never get back. Look, you learn early on in the movie reviewing world that you won’t like every movie you see. That’s just part of the gig. However, it’s a pretty rare stinker which makes you literally angry as you are walking out of the theater – I spent my time watching this when I could have been doing… anything else in the world?
Truth to tell, I went into The Front Room pretty naïve to what it was about. I had seen the trailer, so I had a basic idea of the storyline. (By the way, it turns out the trailer gives away a pretty significant late plot point which should have never been included in the ad, and it probably wouldn’t have been in a better film, or a better trailer.)
However, two things kind of intrigued me about the film. First of all, it was a horror film starring Brandy (Norwood), the 90s soul-pop singer (“The Boy Is Mine,” “Have You Ever” and “Sittin’ In My Room”) and TV actress (Moesha, Cinderella). It’s not even that surprising that she was doing horror, because she was in the two late ‘90s I Know What You Did Last Summer retro-slasher films. I was not even that big a fan of Brandy’s work, but it had been probably 20-25 years since I had seen her do anything of note. So, the attraction was more about me wondering whatever became of her. (Well, I did see her in a bad Netflix Christmas romance movie last year with Heather Graham and Jason Biggs. But no matter how bad that film was, it’s Citizen Kane as compared to this.)
The other interesting thing to me is that it was being distributed by A24, a movie studio which is known for taking some real chances and releasing some truly eccentric films. Honestly, only about one in three of their films totally work – and lots of them are extremely strange – but they are always interesting and different.
Well in fairness, The Front Room is different. It’s even interesting, I suppose – I was never bored or distracted during the film. Of course, that was partially because I was constantly shocked that this movie could sink as low and be as heavy-handed and completely unrealistic as it was. I mean, I get it, horror movies aren’t supposed to make sense in real life (and honestly, this was not so much scary as it was disturbing and disgusting), but even by the loose logical standards of thrillers, The Front Room is built on some real whoppers.
And the bogeyman in this film is a 5’1” tall, extremely frail little old lady who needs two canes to walk.
The story… so to speak… is about Belinda (Brandy) and Norman (Andrew Burnap), a young academic mixed-race couple expecting their first child. (I mention the fact that they are biracial not because I care about it, but because that becomes a plot point later.) She is an adjunct professor at a local college hoping to get full-time status, he’s a struggling lawyer hoping that a big upcoming case will open the door for his dream job. They have bought their dream home, and they are struggling financially (she can’t even afford to buy paint for the baby’s nursery).
Everything changes when Norman receives a call from Solange (Kathryn Hunter), his stepmother. From the second that he hears her voice, Norman goes into PTSD mode; a simpering, deadened, frightened child. Solange tells Norman that his father is dying of cancer and if he wants to make amends with dad, it’ll have to be now. Norman refuses to go to see him, calling his stepmother a holy roller, evil and the bane of his existence. However, when dad dies, Belinda convinces him to go to the funeral, saying he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t.
At the funeral they are given a Faustian bargain. Solange would give them all of her money (it is never said exactly how much that was, but it was obviously a very substantial amount) if they would allow her to live with them, which was apparently dad’s last wish. They are torn – particularly Norman, who actively dislikes the woman – but with that money so many of their problems would be solved.
Therefore, they agree to it, and Solange starts to insinuate herself into their life and home. From the beginning she is a cramp on their lifestyles, her devout religiosity, her backhanded compliments, her insistence on imposing her will on the house and their new baby, her frailty and medical issues. Many of Solange’s snipes are small and petty – she insists on referring to Belinda as Belinder and Norman as Norman Gene (which reminded me of Marilyn Monroe every single time she did it). And it turns out that she is a proud daughter of the Confederacy, which of course makes Belinda uncomfortable.
Soon she is spitefully using her frailty as a weapon – I’m serious, you’ve never seen so much poop, pee and vomit in your life – to make Belinda’s life a living hell. Oddly, Norman, who was so afraid of the woman that he nearly faded into himself just weeks earlier, seems to settle into Solange’s chaos with a shrug. Also, it appears that Solange may have some sort of psychic power – she seems to know things she would have no way of knowing. She also may be less feeble than she seems (Belinda sees her walking without her canes at one point). And she is constantly bringing weird religious friends into the house who seem like cast members from a road company of Rosemary’s Baby.
Now, it may be a fool’s errand to point out the many, many plot inconsistencies which pop up here. For example, when Solange’s medical needs become too much for Belinda to deal with, why don’t they just hire a home health nurse? They suddenly have all of Solange’s money, they could undoubtedly afford it. Also, how does Norman go from despising and distrusting Solange to taking the old woman’s word over that of his own wife?
The biggest problem is Solange herself, though. The character is so over-the-top, so cartoonish, so completely unbelievable that she is nearly impossible to take seriously as a villain. Hey, I dislike holy rollers as much as the next guy, and I have my share of crotchety elderly relatives, but I don’t buy this character for a second. Frankly, it’s pretty ageist and anti-religious.
Then The Front Room uses the most cynical, amoral “happy” ending that it could possibly have grafted onto its diseased flesh. I actually cringed when I heard people clapping for this plot point at the screening I went to.
I cannot stress strongly enough how much I hated (yes, I used the “h” word) The Front Room. Avoid it at all costs.
Jay S. Jacobs
Copyright ©2024 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: September 5, 2024.