This one was brought up to me on Twitter by the folks at the Choose Films podcast, and I figured it was the perfect way to round out the Valentine’s Day theme. The only redeeming quality it has to offer is that it has a good cast. Everyone is flat and one dimensional except Adam, but the plot is so convoluted that you can’t keep track of who he’s supposed to be at any given moment. The beginning is full of implied plot devices , but don’t worry because the plot and timeline are both such train wrecks that you will never remember any of them. It was terrible. It was made even more terrible by the fact that the first recording didn’t take, so I had to watch it again.
This gem was released in April 2020 by Off Camera Productions and was directed by Michael Scott and written by David Golden. It stars Camila Mendes as Katie, Jessie T. Usher as Adam, Elliot Gould as Leonard, Sasha Alexander as Det. Chesler, and Jamie Chung as Julia.
One serious thing that bothered me while I watched it is that everyone immediately jumps to the conclusion that Adam is behind everything and is going to take the money and/or diamonds and bail on Katie and leave her stuck with everything. He’s portrayed as very materialistic and obsessed with finding the easy way out of debt and to a life of luxury. He is also the only Black character, and I couldn’t help but see nothing but stereotypes throughout his part until the end when you find out that he was never going to abandon Katie. Whether or not the part was written for a Black actor, the revelation at the end that he wasn’t really the sum of these stereotypes is lost in the final confrontation, which pretty much stinks.
Also, almost all of the background noise is from the cats. I’m thinking of changing the podcast’s name to “Betsy and the cats go to the movies, and the cats play the whole time… and sometimes her friends come too.” Too long?
Betsy Goes to the Movies 