Interpretation in life is everything – and in the new noir HOMEWRECKER, for lonely heart Linda (Precious Chong) , painter and exercise freak, having that comforting friend in her life at least should be the key to a bigger happiness.
Her so-called friend in this case is newly-wed interior designer Michelle (Alex Essoe), hard-working and somebody who attends the same classes as she does. After they re-connect whilst at a local cafe, Linda persuades Michelle to try and utilise her design talents to help redesign a home which she claims has been in a bit of a mess for years, so drives her back to her place.
Overall, the place looks OK and nothing you would ever be ashamed of selling in the long run, but after Linda tries to get Michelle to drink a cocktail reluctantly, the glass is broken, to which Linda decides to invite Michelle to watch an old fading tape of the Sarah Jessica Parker 1980s cult classic GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN.
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However, Michelle is keen to get back to her life – to which Linda promptly retorts by bashing her over the head with a paperweight and locking her inside. It’s clear that Linda’s designs on Michelle are far more than professional…
HOMEWRECKER follows the same kind of template as the likes of past obsessive people movies like THE CABLE GUY, MISERY and PLAY MISTY FOR ME amongst others – a seemingly disturbed individual looking for validation for somebody who clearly has their life in order and has what they want and is all-too-predictable on that level.
The film was co-written by the two lead actresses with director Zach Gayne and they certainly have a knack for strong characterisation which will bode well for them in the long run. It’s clear they are having a lot of fun with their performances as well.
Chong especially seems to be following the manner of Kathy Bates in her Oscar-winning role in MISERY as Annie Wilkes, in a performance as a rather deluded 1980s prom-queen wannabe determined to have her moment in the twenty-first century, despite being decades off the mark in a seemingly faded existence.
There’s a fair amount of black comedy and dark humour amidst the sustained terror of Linda on Michelle (particularly during a board game the two of them play called ‘Party Hunks’) and at one point ‘STAY‘ by Lisa Loeb (from the motion picture ‘REALITY BITES‘) can be heard too, a theme of HOMEWRECKER.
The film, for its evident predictability remains enjoyable enough, but the talent on show deserve a more original showcase for their abilities.
