Nicole Kidman once leda modern-day reboot ofThe Stepford Wives, certain generations might recall. Two decades later, the busy Oscar winner is starring in yet another edgy thriller set in a “perfect” little society where beautiful spouses seem to bow down to their hardworking, idyllic husbands. There’s an unspoken notion in the new movieHolland, particularly between Kidman’s character and her charming hubby (SuccessionMVP Matthew Macfadyen), that the man of the house can do no wrong after “rescuing” her years prior and now providing her with a sort of utopian lifestyle within the eponymous town in Michigan.
But just likeThe Stepford Wives— and the numerous other high-brow thrillers Kidman has led of late (The Perfect Couple, Expats), things go wrong once her heroine starts to sniff things out. Despite the nifty little twists and turns along the way inHolland— directed by Mimi Cave and written by Andrew Sodroski — the 108-minute end result might just feel plain derivative by the end, even if you adore supporting player Gael García Bernal (Station Eleven) as much as we do.
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All’s Not a Holiday inHolland
Kidman’s latest buttoned-up protagonist is Nancy, whose opening voiceover narration reveals she couldn’t be happier as a loyal resident of Holland. Ever heard of it? And no, she’s not just a house mom to young son Harry (Belfaststar Jude Hill). Nancy also teaches at the local school, where she has befriended the woodshop teacher, Dave (Bernal). They chat in the bleachers during lunch breaks about the latest in their respective lives — but it’s not just innocuous small talk.
Nancy’s eye-doctor husband Fred (Macfadyen), a well-respected member of the rural community, has unfortunately been getting “pulled away” on one too many suspicious business trips, which worries Nancy to the point where she begins snooping around the house and even enlisting pal Dave to help snoop around Fred’s office. Risky stuff we’re talking here, folks.
Not Another Twist Movie
In this wildly unpredictable thriller, Nicole Kidman is the meticulous Nancy Vandergroot, a teacher and homemaker whose picture-perfect life with her community pillar husband (Matthew Macfadyen) and son (Jude Hill) in tulip-filled Holland, Michigan tumbles into a twisted tale. Nancy and her friendly colleague (Gael García Bernal) become suspicious of a secret, only to discover nothing in their lives is what it seems.
It also doesn’t help that Dave is a handsome lad himself, and Kidman is no stranger to playing an alluring woman who gives into temptation (have you seenBabygirl?), so what brews out of the once-friendly rapport along with Nancy’s increasing paranoia might just surprise you at least once or twice. And watch out for Nancy’s horrific nightmares as well, which aim to heighten the film’s thriller vibes but might just come off as a cheap trick to compensate for the somewhat dullness that plagues a number of other sequences.
The more monumental reveals by the second and third acts will also feel a bit derivative of societal thrillers you’ve read and seen time and time again. But the heavyweight starpower that leads the charge here might just be enough to keep you hooked until the credits roll.
And ifHollandleads you wanting more, perhaps a juicier marital thriller that also sees Kidman increasingly suspicious of her life partner, check out Yorgos Lanthimos’The Killing of a Sacred Deer(2017).Hollandis now streaming on Prime Video.
