Directed by Anna Elizabeth James, one of Netflix’s latest films “Deadly Illusions,” stars “Sex and the City” star, Kristin Davis, as Mary Morrison and “Awkward” actress, Greer Grammer, as Grace.
After hearing that the famous “Sex In The City” actress is the main protagonist, I had high hopes for “Deadly Illusions.” Unfortunately, the film failed to live up to my expectations.
Upon watching the film’s trailer, one might expect the psychological thriller to have many twists and turns. However, we are given an anticlimactic plot with many holes and loose ends.
The movie has a cliché and predictable storyline: a rich family who brings someone new into their home and things start to go wrong.
Mary is a famous author who gets the best book deal of her life. She hires Grace to help take care of her twins while she focuses on cleaning up her husband’s mess and writing her next best novel. Unbeknownst to Mary, Grace is not who she says she is.
Mary is a boring character whose only personality trait is not being able to tell the difference between fiction and fantasy when she writes. When the film would cut to her monologue, I often found myself cringing or waiting for the next scene in the movie. It does not get any better with Grace’s character.
Grace’s background is a mystery throughout the entire film and when we finally get a glimpse of who she is, the moment only lasts for two minutes. This takes away from any redemption the film could have had for the plot and adds to the confusion of “Deadly Illusions.”
“Deadly Illusions” is dramatic, to say the least. The acting at many points in the film comes off as tacky and too desperate to appeal to the viewer’s emotions.
Greer Grammer stars as Grace in “Deadly Illusions.”
Photo courtesy of Netflix
When the holes in the plot become too large, the movie cuts to an erotic scene to fill the space. All of these scenes add no value to the film’s plot or character dynamic and often made my skin crawl because of the bad acting.
On the other hand, the actors who played the children have few lines which only make up for a few minutes of screen time, but their acting is filled with genuine emotion.
The only word I would use to describe the film is awkward, which fits seeing as Grammer’s breakout role was playing Lissa on the MTV show, “Awkward.” The choppy editing and constant background music create an uncomfortable atmosphere for the viewer.
The most bothersome cinematic element in the film is the strange pale blue filter present from the beginning credits and throughout the film. The music ruins many of the moments that are meant to be sentimental and romantic by filling the space with audio that does not quite fit the mood.
Kristin Davis and Greer Grammer star in “Deadly Illusions.”
Photo courtesy of Netflix
The ending of the film is extremely rushed and does not have a solid conclusion as we are left with an unimpressive scene of a random woman walking out of the building Mary had just been in. With lack of explanation, it can be inferred that a second movie may be in the works but with the poor cinematography and acting, I highly doubt that will be the case.
I recommend saving two hours of your time and skip on viewing this film. By the end, you will be merely left with a headache from trying to wrap your head around what you’ve just seen.
With proper explanations and a tighter plot, “Deadly Illusions” could have been a fantastic movie but sadly, it does not live up to all the promotions Netflix gave it.
