See It or Skip It Movie Reviews: “Hard Truths,” “Y2K,” and “Nightbitch”

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — This week is filled with awkward coming-of-age horrors and awards contenders. ABC4’s Film Critic Patrick Beatty is here to break down what to see and what to skip.

Y2K

From SNL alum Kyle Mooney comes a throwback to New Year’s 1999. Y2K is on everyone’s minds except Eli and Danny (Jaeden Martell, Julian Dennison). They have their hopes set on meeting cute girls and partying. But when the hour strikes midnight, electronics start becoming sentient, and nobody is safe.

I will always applaud creative risks, but Y2K feels awkwardly reminiscent of films before like ‘Superbad’. There are some funny moments but the jokes land only about 50% of the time. Some performances I wish we had more time with, and some stay longer than they should.

I wish there were more focus on the scale of Y2K. It feels limited, and the story beats don’t connect with me. Eli and his romantic interest Laura (Rachel Zegler) have no chemistry, and sadly Eli isn’t an interesting character to lead this film. If you go in with low expectations you may be surprised by it, but it certainly isn’t one I would pay money to see in theaters.

See It or Skip It? Skip It

Hard Truths

Pansy is a retail worker’s worst nightmare. A coarse, sharp-tongued woman who can and will find something to complain about. From her family to her friends, to any poor soul that crosses her path, Pansy is pushing everyone away, all in the name of sharing her worldview. But that may come at the cost of losing everyone who cares about her.

“Hard Truths” examines the differences in families based on the head of the house’s ideology, matriarchal roles, and the sad truth that kindness is becoming more and more rare. It’s written and directed beautifully and includes a standout performance from Marianne Jean-Baptiste.

For the first half of the film, I found myself more entertained and laughing at the surface story of just a grumpy old woman ruining everyone’s day. We see countless videos online of “Karens” freaking out at things in ways that are edited to be funny, and “Hard Truths” does a great job at introducing this character as possibly the worst iteration of what we see in real life.

It isn’t until an incredibly powerful moment occurs, when Pansy completely breaks down her wall, that we see the true pain that causes her to lash out. This was such a heartbreaking moment performed masterfully by Marianne Jean-Baptiste. In a year full of strong female leads, Marianne Jean-Baptiste stands out in my top three of this awards season, and I hope she is recognized for it.

The supporting performances are fantastic, all reacting to the force of nature that is Pansy. I believe those reactions reflect exactly what the audience is thinking while watching, grounding it in realism and empathy. Writer/Director Mike Leigh gives his best film to date with “Hard Truths” and has honed his craft of storytelling.

I loved this film and highly recommend it to anyone once it becomes available digitally and hopefully in a Utah theater near you.

See It or Skip It? See It

Nightbitch

Amy Adams plays a new mother who is transitioning from a full-time career to being a stay-at-home mom. As domestication sets into her day-to-day life, a surreal turn shakes her to the core.

“Mother” is not only having to do everything for her new baby, but “Husband” (Scoot McNairy) isn’t picking up the slack, and is reliant on her just as much as the child. This causes Amy Adams to transition into a dog. “Nightbitch” is filled with heavy-handed messaging on how women are treated once they have a child that works for me in concept, but the message was too relentlessly in the foreground to have a meaningful experience watching it.

This is not to say I disagree with the film’s premise or the message director Marielle Heller is telling. It just strikes a weird tonal balance, along with hitting you on the head with the messaging. I wish the film had allowed its audience to explore the themes and story themselves.

Overall, this wasn’t for me, but it still could be for you if you check it out on streaming.

See It or Skip It? Skip It

Note: See It or Skip It is proudly owned and produced by Patrick Beatty. ABC4 is a broadcast partner, but the show, its content, and opinions are independently created.