Promising Young Woman Preview

Cassandra "Cassie" Thomas (Carey Mulligan) is smart and determined and was working her way through medical school when tragedy rocked her world.  Her best friend Nina was raped by their classmate Al Monroe.  The school and the legal system failed her.  Nina took her own life and Cassie never recovered.  Now, pushing 30, she lives at home with her parents in Ohio and works at a coffee shop to make ends meet.  

Promising Young Woman is Cassie's revenge story.  The preview begins with Cassie speaking with Dean Elizabeth Walker (Connie Britton).  Cassie is there under the pretense of being interested in resuming her medical schooling.  When asked about her previous departure, Cassie reminds her of what Al Monroe did at that school.  Dean Walker dismisses Cassie by saying they get accusations like this all the time.  Walker asks Cassie if the alleged rape was reported and who it was Nina spoke to.  Cassie reminds Walker that it was her that Nina went to for help.

Thus begins a rampage of not only revenge against those Cassie holds responsible for what happened to Nina, but against those who engage in this behavior.  She frequents bars and parties and acts completely inebriated.  She waits for guys to attempt to take advantage of her before revealing her sobriety. 

There is another preview that apparently shows how Cassie's fire for revenge was ignited.  She is working in the coffee shop when a former classmate Ryan (Bo Burnham) enters.  He is sweet and goofy and endearing.  After tripping over his own words, he tells her she can spit in his coffee if she likes.  He'd deserve it.  Without hesitating, she does.  He responds by asking her out.  He also tells her that Al Monroe is getting married.  There's the fire.

Promising Young Woman was Written, Produced and Directed by Emerald Fennell.  Other than a short film in 2018, this would be Fennell's directorial debut.  She is nominated for 3 Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.  Carey Mulligan is nominated for Best Leading Actress.  This is Mulligan's second Oscar nomination.  She was previously nominated for her role in An Education in 2009.

This film looks painful, yet witty.  Dark, yet sweet.  Angry, yet heroic.  Carey looks fantastic in the leading role with a dry sense of humor and delivery mixed with a deep and intense need for revenge.  It's not the first movie to deal with revenge.  In Carrie, the 1976 Stephen King thriller, we saw Sissy Spacek exact a bloody revenge against her bullies.  Russell Crowe got his revenge in 2000's Gladiator.  But the preview for Promising Young Woman reminds me a bit of another revenge movie.  Two actually.  Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2 by Quentin Tarantino.  Tarantino is one of the all-time masters of tackling extremely uncomfortable issues (slavery, drug use, sodomy), stringing the storyline together with as much violently bloody and over-the-top graphic scenes as possible, and sprinkling in just enough smart and necessary humor to keep things somewhat balanced.  I'm expecting the same type of reaction to this film.  Uncomfortable, graphic, violent, but also smart and fun.  I am going to give Promising Young Woman a 4 Star Prediction.  It looks like it would be worth the money in a theatre, something I'd want to watch again, and have a good chance of finding a home in my permanent collection.  Am I right?  We shall see.