Rating: 2.5 out of 4
Running Time: 114 minutes
This feature from A24 opens exclusively in theaters on Wednesday, December 25, 2024.
For many people, Dec. 25 is a holiday that involves stuffing oneself with turkey, ham, or roast beef, as well as stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and desserts like pies. But, if you’re in the mood for something more carnal over the holidays, there is an option at your local cinema. Babygirl is a film that bares all when it comes to its lead characters, who express their sexual appetites on the screen. The bold lead performances definitely help sell a great deal of the extreme material, but the denouement is a let-down.
Workaholic CEO Romy Mathis (Nicole Kidman) runs a hugely successful automation business that provides machinery and hardware for warehouses to collect and pack items for shipment. She is sexually unsatisfied by her husband, famed stage director Jacob Mathis (Antonio Banderas). When brash new intern Samuel (Harris Dickinson) arrives and tells Romy he should be working under her, she initially balks at his boldness. But flirtation begins and the shifting power dynamic becomes more and more overt.
Soon, they begin an affair, which involves Samual making demands of Romy. His, at times, extreme requests clearly arouse his employer, resulting in heated lovemaking. Of course, before long others in the office begin to have suspicions about the two and Samuel even begins dropping by the family home unannounced.
One can’t help but think of the film as a kind of 50 Shades of Grey, but with a stronger cast and better writing. The teasing interplay between Romy and Samuel is amusing early on, as the younger man makes innuendos and then backs off once he gets a reaction from his superior. Banderas is also fine as a husband that feels awkward about fulfilling some of his wife’s unique requests. But of course, Kidman carries the picture as the very amorous lead looking for some kind of outlet to fulfil her personal needs. There is a lot of sexual content in the film and the actress goes all out in every scene as the situations get more and more heated.
Naturally, a movie like this also has to eventually boil over, and the movie does an interesting job as showing the protagonist’s mix of excitement and embarrassment over what is occurring. There are tense moments as family members and other romantic partners voice their concerns and even an attempt to exert influence over Romy and her decision making. But as written, her extreme actions aren’t always relatable. We know this kind of trouble is something of a turn-on, but once the business-obsessed character finds herself in hot water, one has difficulty following her reasoning behind decisions late in the film.
As mentioned, it’s reasonably successful in many respects and well-intentioned, but when all of the cards are eventually laid out bare on the table, it’s difficult to completely buy into the resolution. This is intended to be an empowering story, as the main character comes to accept her own wants and needs, making it clear that personal kinks are nothing to be ashamed of. This may be true, but in today’s world, the movie ties up the story so easily and simply that it’s hard to suspend disbelief. This includes the finale, in which the continuation of a relationship seems dependent on secrets and specific qualifications being adhered to without end.
This reviewer greatly admired the work of the cast. They’re not holding back in any department (which resulted in a number of titters from the audience around me) and the shifting power dynamic between characters is interesting to witness. But after launching itself into this amorous world and touching on intriguing themes, Babygirl ends on a, well, hammy note, and doesn’t resolve all of its story and character beats in an entirely convincing manner.
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