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Plot Summary: A widowed mother's first date in years takes a terrifying turn when she's bombarded with anonymous threatening messages on her phone during their upscale dinner, leaving her questioning if her charming date is behind the harassment.

Runtime: 1 hour 35 mins

Director: Christopher Landon

Writers: Jillian Jacobs, Chris Roach

• Meghann Fahy as Violet
• Brandon Sklenar as Henry
• Violett Beane as Jen
• Jacob robinson as Toby
• Reed Diamond as Richard

Review by: Samuel

What I Liked:

I absolutely loved Happy Death Day and I appreciated it’s sequel. And, I was one of those people singing M3GAN’s praises. So I kind of knew what to expect from Drop as it came from the same production and I wasn’t disappointed – in fact I was more impressed than I believed I would be.

The plot – a woman (Meghan Fahy) on her first date begins receiving  messages on her phone from an unknown assailant. These messages are commands for her to do some pretty unruly things including killing her date. Because one must be within 50 feet to send these messages, we know this assailant to be someone in the restaurant. What’s more, if she refuses to do as told, her son (at home) will be harmed by this assailant’s partner. 

So, the idea of having the large majority of the film take place in a restaurant is brilliant. Because it is an intimate enough setting that we get to know characters, but large enough that it doesn’t feel like we’re stuck in just one location the entire time and we aren’t exactly sure as to who or where this assailant is adding to the mystery. 

Megan Fahy is so good. SO GOOD. Much better than a film like this normally gets. She is a survivor of abuse, and she wears it on her shoulders. Even before the date begins we see her uneasy about getting back out there and she has reservations about leaving her son to go out. Small things actors do, like hesitating before taking a step out the door, are the types of things that take you out of the audience and into the film. So I didn’t feel like  I was watching actors on a screen reading a script, I was watching actual people. 

This is encapsulated in a scene that will never be considered for Oscar contention, but definitely should. As Fahy’s Violet and her date Henry (Brandon Skelnar) open up to each other and expose their vulnerabilities, all the ambient sound is muted so you only hear them speaking. And every crack in the voice, or pause as they tried to keep from flat out crying is truly felt. I almost teared up myself at this scene as Violet expresses why she doesn’t think she’s worthy of happiness. It was the type of scene that made me forget the type of movie I was watching. So, kudos to her. 

As for the narrative, it is what you’d expect. It has thrills, twists and surprises and a fair amount tension all wrapped up in a tight 90-minute package. It’s a fun time. The has a decent amount of action that had my theater literally gasping and cheering at some points.

You also really get to enjoy the characters like the friendly bar tender, HILARIOUS waiter, playboy piano player and nervous guy also on his first date. All of whom are charming in their own way, but all of whom could also be suspects as the person sending Violet messages is definitely someone who can see her. 

I want to specifically shout out the character of Henry, the date. He is the perfect man. Seriously, the guy is the most patient, most understanding, and most thoughtful a human can be to someone he just met. When things start going crazy and Violet is following the commands of her assailant while also trying to figure out their identity…she is basically ignoring Henry. And to his credit, he never loses it with her and tries his best to figure out how to help. He is instantly likeable and that doesn’t change for the duration for the runtime- he is an easy guy to root for. 

I’ll end with the cinematography which was top-notch. The camera moves a lot during action scenes. For example, when Violet falls you don’t just see it, the camera falls down to the ground with her. Same when she rolls or flips, the camera moves with her body so you get kind of a POV look at what she’s experiencing. But the most impressive is those moments of intimacy we have with Violet when she’s contemplating her next move or reflecting on something that’s occurred. I mentioned earlier the ambient sound is muted, but also the background fades to black and we have studio lighting placed directly on her. It’s an excellent way to make you feel her sense of isolation during this ordeal. 

What I Didn’t Like:

Was this perfect? Absolutely not. The comedy inserted, outside of Jeffery’s Self’s portrayal of the waiter, is not great ( to be nice). There are certain moments where you need to turn off your brain to accept what is happening on screen, and the ultimate “master plan” of the villain is a bit anticlimactic. So even though I had a lot I liked, it is by no means a cinematic masterpiece