Where I Watched it: Netflix

English Audio Description?: Yes

Netflix acquired this sexy thriller out of Sundance, and it is one of those extremely on the outer ring Oscar bait films that might get a few mentions here and there, so this is possibly not the last time you will hear of this. The movie stars Phoebe Dynevor, an actress who unfortunately is now legally required to make a tutorial on how to pronounce her name. I subscribe to a multitude of other critics, and listen to their thoughts on movies, and no one knows how to say her name. So far, as of this writing, i’ve heard her name pronounced four different ways. They cannot possibly all be correct. Meanwhile, the least interesting man in the world, Alden Ehrenreich is given an opportunity to act opposite her. no, I’m not an Alden fan.

This movie explores a lot of ideas, and while I’ve mentioned in the past that a “slow burn” is often a lazy catch all that critics use to say it’s noticeably slow, I think the burn part actually qualifies here. I was somewhat bored at the top by the limited scope of these characters, two young co-workers hiding their relationship, and both hungry to be promoted at work. It just turns out that possibly, she might be more talented than her partner, and the exploration of male fragility against the success of a female partner is what makes this film begin to work. Once Phoebe’s character begins to succeed at work, it starts to get more and more interesting, as there becomes an ever growing elephant in the room of their relationship.

but, toward the end of the film, FairPlay starts to take off in a very dark way, giving Phoebe the chance to shine, and also demand intelligent thought from their audience about consent. it becomes a more difficult watch, but there’s so much strength resonating from our female lead, that as the film is experiencing its fever pitch, there is a belief that this could end any possible way.

however, as much as this works, it also doesn’t. The movie seems far too concerned with a belief that the longer we spend with these two, the greater understanding we will have of the dynamic in their relationship, and thus the fallout and finale will have a greater impact. This is a fallacy, as the first half is not nearly as interesting as the second, and has a more Fifty Shades vibe than this probably should. in fact, in some ways, it almost feels like a response to movies of that ilk, as well as a statement on relationships failing when the female becomes more successful than the male.

The audio description is fine throughout, but I always wonder what it’s like for the narrators to have to describe certain things, and what that does to them in the short term. I’d imagine there are moments in here that were difficult to get through, as the detail has to be delivered in a very direct manner as it is informational and not sensational, So, at a certain point in the movie, where any sane person would be left uncomfortable, the narrator does a good job of maintaining neutrality, and I just hope scenes like this don’t linger too long for them.

This is a lot closer to a slow burn than just a slow movie with no payoff. The last act of the film has clearly a very diffferent level of intensity, but I’m not so sure we needed quite the long arduous pacing to get there. I think there’s a movie in FairPlay worth watching, just not the whole thing as it is currently presented. Still, this actress, no matter how you pronounce her name, is fantastic, and that pulls this film into the positive for me. And I suppose Alden was fine.

Final Grade: B-