- Actors: Adam Brody, Mark O'Brien, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell, Melanie Scrofano
- Directors: Tyler Gillett, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
- Disc Format: NTSC, Subtitled
- Language: English (DTS 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region A/1
- Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rated: RestrictedR
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Release Date: December 3, 2019
In recent years there has been an increase in
the number of films taking place in the mansions of extremely wealthy families,
and they are often the villains of the narrative. It wasn’t long ago that the
wealthy family of You’re Next
suffered a home invasion plot, and we recently saw these same themes with the
successful murder-mystery Knives Out.
And earlier this year was the horror-comedy, Ready or Not. While Knives
Out takes the social commentary a step further by making the outsider
protagonist an immigrant and lower class employee of the family, Ready or Not features a beautiful blonde
bride who has just married into the family. If it weren’t for a supernatural
deal with the devil, one can imagine that Ready
or Not’s protagonist might have been welcomed into the villainous circle of
wealth, which comes with the implication that it was built upon blood of those
outside the family.
The film takes
place on the wedding night of Grace (Samara Weaving) as she marries into a
wealthy family whose fortune was made with board games. When her new husband,
Alex (Mark O'Brien), informs Grace that the family has a wedding night
tradition of playing a game, she accepts the strange request in hopes of
pleasing her new in-laws (Henry Czerny and Andie MacDowell). What Grace doesn’t
realize, is that the family believes that this ritual will keep them alive and
in power, having created their fortune after a deal with the devil. And part of
that deal requires that Grace be killed before the end of her wedding night.
Whether or not
the curse is real or imagined goes unanswered for a majority of the film, though
this makes little difference with the family willing to act upon it regardless.
Grace is forced to hide within the walls of the massive mansion, in hopes that
she can survive the night. Inevitably, she is found and must fight back against
the entitled wealthy family she almost called her own. That even those
unrelated by blood are more than willing to kill in order to retain their wealth
and status says volumes about their character, and the themes of narrative
during an era when the wealthiest seem to be the most distrusted.
Ready or Not is wise to amp up the humor
elements in the narrative, particularly in the dialogue. Where the comedic
elements become a bit much is in Weaving’s performance. It isn’t that humor
needs to be reserved for supporting characters (although Adam Brody lands the
most successful one-liners as the brother-of-the-groom), but the fact that
Weaving seems to be trying just a bit too hard. She comes off as someone chewing
scenery rather than the quirky cuteness that she seems to be going for. While
it does make sense that Grace would have a bit more character than the
upper-class counterparts, her high-energy weirdness is often more obnoxious
than endearing. Although it would have altered the satirical elements, I can’t
help but wonder what this film would have been like had the horror been taken a
bit more seriously.
The Blu-ray
release of Ready or Not comes with a
digital copy of the film, along with a handful of bonus features. The highlight
of the extras is a commentary track with Weaving and the three filmmakers known
as Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villella),
although there is also a making-of featurette and a gag reel.
Entertainment Value:
8/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6.5/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
Special Features: 6/10
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