Facialist-to-the-stars Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks) is outraged when Angel (Luis Gerado Méndez) opens a rival skincare studio directly across from hers. As she’s preparing to launch her own line of products, Hope becomes convinced that someone is trying to destroy her life and her business. With her sights set on her new rival, Hope wages war in an attempt to prove that Angel is behind it as she fights to save her reputation and salvage the empire she’s worked so hard to build up.
Loosely based on the real-life case of Dawn DaLuise, a beauty guru who was arrested and acquitted for a murder-for-hire-plot against a rival, ‘Skincare’ is a steadily building thriller about a woman who is pushed to her limits. Hope is furious when her business comes under threat but that’s only the beginning of her problems; she soon finds she’s being targeted by someone who is out to completely ruin her life. Turning to life coach Jordan (Lewis Pullman) for help, Hope battles paranoia as she tries to get to the root of what’s really going on.
‘Skincare’ works on the idea that it can misdirect its audience and it tries a few times, but the cast of characters is fairly small. That means it won’t take you too long to work out who’s behind Hope’s torment so essentially, you’re spending the film waiting for Hope to catch-on. It feels a little bit like an episode of ‘Columbo’ where the audience knows more than the lead character. The film attempts a little social commentary around what it’s like to be a woman in a world run by men, but it doesn’t dig too deep beyond the obvious (one scene sees Hope in a car with a TV presenter who asks for sexual favours in exchange for exposure on his show).
Elizabeth Banks continues to baffle with her film choices. A gifted actress, especially in comedy, her performance here is reliably good but she’s better than this kind of material. I find myself constantly rooting for her to get that breakout part she so hugely deserves but Hope Goldman isn’t it. The character doesn’t really stretch Banks in any way and we’ve sen her play similar characters many times before. The revelation here is Lewis Pullman as Jordan. His performance is the standout in the cast and he’s got a bright future ahead of him. He has perhaps the most difficult role in the film but he carries it off with ease, allowing his easy charisma to shine through.
‘Skincare’ is an enjoyable enough thriller but it never elevates above average, despite the best efforts of its cast. The film’s main issue is that it lacks any surprises and it’s blatantly obvious what’s going on within the first 30 minutes of the film. That makes the third act ‘reveal’ somewhat underwhelming and it doesn’t land the way it should. ‘Skincare’ is a classic case of a great cast wasted and it’s the kind of film you’ll forget about shortly afer watching it.
Cast: Elizabeth Banks, Lewis Pullman, Luis Gerado Méndez, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Nathan Fillion Director: Austin Peters Writers: Sam Freilich, Deering Regan, Austin Peters Certificate: 15 Duration: 96 mins Released by: Universal Pictures Release date: 11th November 2024
