I want Rachel McAdams to get acting nominations for her performance in this campy, gory suspense/thriller, that’s actually pretty funny if you can get past director Sam Raimi’s affinity to blood and gore. It’s definitely a feminist film, maligning the toxic masculinity that seems very apparent in corporate America. And what I love about its feminism is that it isn’t afraid to make McAdams’ Linda to be a heavily flawed character. She’s as human as the rest of us – awkward, a little obsessive, a bit unkempt and untidy – but her rage is justified. And when the narrative beats pushes her to cross the line, the film is unafraid to show that she’s just as much the villain as her boss, played by Dylan O’Brien.
Send Help follows Linda Liddle, a hardworking employee in a corporation run by the father of Dylan O’Brien’s Bradley Preston. Bradley is set to take over the company after his father’s passing, and Linda, who has been carrying the bulk of the work in her department, is hoping that the senior Preston’s promise of making her a vice-president will be honoured by Bradley. But to her shock, she’s passed over by her direct supervisor, who has taken credit for all her accomplishments at work. When she confronts Bradley head-on, he tells her she should join them on a trip to Bangkok for a merger to prove herself. But the plane malfunctions and crashes into the ocean, leaving Linda and Bradley on an island. With only Linda’s survival skills – she dreams of becoming a contestant on the hit television reality show Survivor – to keep them alive while they wait for rescue.
The screenplay of Damian Shannon and Mark Swift takes a satirical tone, over exaggerating the worst of corporate structures, toxic masculinity, and giving a fantastical take on Linda’s duality. At the office, she’s a mess, her hair is always untidy, her clothes are devoid of femininity, and she’s criticized for having an “odious smell” stemming from her love of tuna fish sandwiches. She’s socially awkward, and no one likes her, despite being a genius with numbers and a highly efficient workhorse. On the island, stripped of the social hierarchies and mind games of corporate life, she blooms. All her books on survival and her dreams of becoming a cast member of Survivor bring out her full potential. Here, she’s in charge. Her hair is gorgeous. In the office, her makeup is pale, attempting to give her the no-makeup look and tries (a challenge for McAdams) to make her look plain. But on the island, the makeup artist gives her a radiant glow. And the Rachel McAdams we know, who made a breathtaking debut in the Mean Girls and rose to superstardom in The Notebook makes a striking reappearance.
It’s almost a toxic masculine wet dream, but Shannon, Swift, and director Sam Raimi quickly subvert this. Linda’s personality quirks still remain, yet the power being the sole provider for her horrible boss brings out a side of her she didn’t know she had. Of course, at first, Bradley orders her around, belittles her, and mocks her, but when he realises he cannot survive on the island without her, he begins to take a more submissive role. This shift not only encourages Linda’s growth but also nudges her further tipping into the darker side of her personality.
The film is funny, action-packed, and horrifying all at the same time. Raimi’s use of unconventional camera angles, perspectives, and his penchant for jump scares and gore keeps the film exciting, perfect for audiences who have come for a roller-coaster ride. Even as Bradley and Linda start pushing each other’s buttons, bringing out the worst versions in themselves, you can’t help but root for Linda. The film has already positioned her as the initial victim – even as the twists and turns of the film’s narrative quickly turns that around and shift her into a perpetrator as well – and in a way, the film tackles the underdog story of gaining power and becoming the aggressor. The comedic aspect of the movie allow us to bend our morality for this film so we can excuse all her behaviour on the island.
The crowd around me as I was watching was firmly on her side, even when she went too far.
O’Brien serves as a great foil, portraying the toxic male nepo-baby to a tee. You enjoy hating him and constantly question when he starts to show kindness towards Linda. But make not mistake, this is McAdams’ movie through and through. She’s an amazing actress who understands the tone of camp, hitting it precisely at that frequency, yet she is able to switch it when her character undergoes an internal crisis. She finds pathos in the character and manages to bring it out even in the moments of Linda’s turn to the darker side of herself. Linda is slowly unraveling, but McAdams does it so naturally that it never feels like “a performance.” It simply settles into the rhythm of the film. I really want people to take note of this performance as a high-wire act that is not easy to do.
This movie itself is pure fun. Be ready to be grossed out, scream in agony and fright, and laugh at the absurdity of what Raimi, Shannon and Swift put these characters through. And keep your eyes on McAdams who nails this character and makes Linda completely unforgettable.
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Get ready for laughs, screams, and pure chaos. Watch Send Help in cinemas now and witness Rachel McAdams’ unforgettable performance!
