I’M YOUR WOMAN – Review

So, are you a film fan that gets a bit of seasonal movie overload this time of year? You’re thinking, “Enough with the couples making ‘goo-goo’ eyes while whipping up a snowman!” or perhaps, with all that’s happening you can’t get your “jolly” on. In the mood for a gritty action thriller, set in those “down and dirty” 1970s, complete with pistol-packin’ polyester-wearing thugs? Well, Santa’s cinema elves have fashioned a stocking-stuffer just for you. So, is this a follow-up to the crime epic from last year’s holiday season, with more “digitally de-aged” Bobby D and Al P? Nope, it’s not needed this time around, because the lead is one of our newer rising stars, though she’s best known as the lead in a celebrated TV sitcom. Her? This gets a bit more interesting. What happens amidst the usual gangster mayhem when she steps forward to proclaim I’M YOUR WOMAN.

That woman is Jean (Rachel Brosnahan), a blonde pampered wife in her late 20s who’s living the plush 70s suburban life just outside Pittsburgh. One day her tranquil afternoon is disrupted by the unexpected early arrival of her hubby Eddie (Bill Heck), who has brought a surprise…a baby boy just a few months old. Eddie tells a stunned Jean that the lad, which she later names Harry, is theirs. She asks no questions since she knows that Eddie’s business is none of hers (she’s fine being kept out of the loop). Soon everything changes when one of his “shady” associates pounds on the front door in the dead of night. It seems that Eddie is on the run after “offending” some powerful people. Jean is introduced to Cal (Arinze Kene) who will be her driver and protector as she too goes into hiding with her baby. After several seedy motels, long days driving, and a few close calls, Cal brings her to a quiet neighborhood home to “lay low” and keep to herself, as he “takes care of some things”. When this quiet spot heats up, Cal then drops her and Harry off in a rustic cabin deep off the “beaten path”. But soon her solitude is ended by the arrival of a trio of former residents of the place: Teri (Marsha Stephanie Blake), Art (Frankie Faison), and pre-teen Paul (De’Mauri Parks). Can Jean trust them? What’s their connection to Cal and Eddie? And when will her life get back to some semblance of normalcy?

Yes, Jean is played by the critical darling “diva” best known now as that “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, who abruptly “changes gears” to play the oblivious gangster’s “goil”, Jean. At the start of the film, much like Tony’s wife Carmela on “The Sopranos” or Kay in the GODFATHER trilogy, Jean pretty much knows that spouse Eddie is a bad guy doing bad stuff, but feels that not knowing the details exonerates her (like not wanting to know how the “sausage is made”). As long as he pays the bills and treats her well (c’mon, the guy chokes down her awful cooking), then ignorance is truly bliss. Until the “chickens come home to roost”. At first, Brosnahan plays a true vapid “hausfrau” who quickly becomes a frazzled, panicked mess, though she desperately tries to keep from giving in to despair in order to protect her Harry. Later we can feel her loneliness as she yearns to connect with someone, first with Cal, then a too-nosy neighbor. And though we can still see the terror in her eyes, she fights past it to push back against the evil and aid those who’ve saved her. Brosnahan truly sells Jean’s complex character “arc”. Happily, she’s got great support from Kene as the tough but somehow tender Cal who shows us that Jean and Harry are more than just an errand as he tries to relay the constant threats without breaking her spirit. Much the same can be said of Blake who easily slips into the role of Jean’s tough, no-nonsense “big sister”. And that goes for Faison as the warm, fatherly Art. There are also some terrific scenes with Marceline Hugot as the helpful (or is she) Evelyn and James McMenamin as the gregarious, but deadly mob boss White Mike.

Director Julia Hart, who co-wrote the script with Jordan Horowitz, has crafted an engaging homage to the bullet-riddled urban thrillers that played the “grindhouses” and drive-ins (and would pop-up as a needed second feature for years) in the sleazy 70s. The screen nearly crackles with the air of danger from start to finish. Hart keeps building on the suspense, from the midpoint late-night stand-off to the satisfying third act “throw-down” that begins with an attempted “hit” in a crowded disco and finishes off with a harrowing car chase (love those “big boat” era autos) down those mean, near-deserted Pittsburgh streets. And yes, the location work is superb as the city seems to morph into a dangerous mob-town from five decades ago. Oh, let’s give out some more kudos to the artists that recreated those garish fashions and questionable hairstyles (of both genders). Bryce Fortner’s cinematography gives the flick a greyish, gloomy scene to drive home the dark forces trying to destroy the good (mostly) guys and gals. It doesn’t have the epic scope of a Tarantino or Scorsese crime caper, but this skilled retro thriller focused on the fierce female characters makes I’M YOUR WOMAN a fun and funky cool ride. Dig it!

3 Out of 4

I’M YOUR WOMAN screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at the Hi-Pointe Theatre and Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas along with select theatres everywhere, and can be streamed on Amazon Prime.