“Thoroughbreds” branded itself as the love child of “Heathers” and “American Psycho” during its lengthy promotional period, but instead, the reality is that it is a heartless – almost sociopathic – film more in the vein of a Halloween episode of “Gossip Girl.”
“Thoroughbreds,” from writer and director Cory Finley, is not a dissatisfying movie. In fact, the movie is quite fun to watch, and it snagged many big awards on the festival circuit late last year.
The movie provides dark, witty comedy along with action, expertly delivered from the movie’s leads – Anya Taylor-Joy, Olivia Cooke and the late Anton Yelchin – that would satisfy even the greediest fan of the genre.
The movie, however, fails to deliver a central theme despite plentiful opportunities. “Thoroughbreds” follows Lily and Amanda, who are rather forcibly rekindling an old friendship that faded away through the years.
Lily is a wealthy teenager who lives in a massive yet emotionally hollow mansion with her mother and step-father. Amanda, on the other hand, comes from a more recognizable middle-class comfort and is receiving tutoring from Lily.
Finley writes the two lead characters as complete opposites to create situational comedy and an engaging duo to uphold the film. Lily is an overanalyzer who feels every emotion as if her life depended on it, while Amanda is a mere sociopath detached from society and human connection.
Both actresses play their characters wonderfully, which is what makes the movie work for what it is. The two girls, however different, hatch a plan to murder Lily’s aggressive and overbearing stepfather, Mark, played by Paul Sparks.
The movie has the opportunity to use this absurd premise – and rather interesting characters – to potentially explore the effects of wealth on society, but Finley leans too hard into the comedy-thriller drama that made “Heathers” a cult-classic.
There are scenes when wealthy white women lie in tanning beds that eerily resemble coffins, portraying an obvious attempt at social commentary that is merely written off as a visual joke. Even at Lily’s mansion, scenes that linger on the numerous unnamed workers seem to want to scream “We are talking about socioeconomic injustice!” but never actually mention this theme.
What the movie becomes is an enjoyable distraction from everyday society – a simple piece of forgettable entertainment. But it fails to be what it promised in its marketing. It seems that the movie wants to say something, but the words just never come out of its mouth.
Despite the movie’s failings, the hyperstylized editing and shallow conversation between the characters feels innately familiar yet distinct to “Thoroughbreds.” It’s an obvious ode to movies like “Heathers,” “American Psycho” and “American Beauty,” but it manages to stand on its own in the genre.
It is never the touted “love child” but more of a look-alike distant cousin. Recent pieces of cinema have attempted to tap into this “look,” such as the new television reboot of “Heathers,” which has proven to be a spectacular failing.
Finley is a talented writer, and this movie had every opportunity to crumble beneath the weight of its lofty goals, but it manages to stand as a great piece of entertainment, which is, sadly, all it is.
“Thoroughbreds,” in the end, is a great option for fans of dark and witty films, but it stops at just that. I recommend watching it on a rainy night when you’re in a frustrated mood with friends, but I wouldn’t rush to the theaters.
