I got a chance to check out Sam Raimi’s new flick, Send Help, on the big screen, and I had way more fun than I thought I would. The film follows a woman’s journey, and choices, after she is stranded on an island with her overbearing boss. I hadn’t seen any trailers. The only thing I knew was that Sam Raimi teamed up with Regina George (Rachel McAdams). That was enough to get my butt in the seat! With the exception of Red Eye, I had only seen Rachel McAdams in comedies. She does a great job of showing the audience who’s boss. Although horrific things happen, the tone is very comedic most of the time. Send Help balances the humor and high stakes well. It was worth the trip to the theater because the crowd reactions made the viewing even better. Let’s dig into the deets.
Let’s Clock In
Send Help feels like it’s nudging and winking at the audience, which works because of the strong performances from Rachel McAdams as Linda Liddle and Dylan O’Brien as Bradley Preston. These are the characters we spend most of the movie with. First we meet Linda, who is meek, but extremely talented. These traits coupled with her social awkwardness makes it difficult for her to connect with her coworkers, especially in a way that would help her move up the ladder. Additionally, she is a woman with no direct connections to her new boss, Bradley. Even though she worked with his father, who recommended her for a promotion.
The movie also puts her in glasses and frumpy clothes, like that is supposed to hide that she was (and still is) the leader of “The Plastics” from Mean Girls. It’s the old trick of putting glasses on a gorgeous woman and then pretending that everyone perceives her as unattractive. We watch her navigate that space, while trying to advocate for herself. While some of the coworker interactions seem a bit exaggerated, the roots of those interactions still ring true: sexism, nepotism, and theft coats the rungs of the corporate ladder.
World’s Worst Boss
Bradley is the definition of a corporate “dude-bro”. He got the job through his father instead of hard work. One of the first interactions we see between Linda and Bradley is when he takes credit for her hard work. He tries to ice her out of the business deal, however, he would not have landed the deal without her genius. He gives Linda’s promised position to his frat brother, and he sprinkles in some quid pro quo harassment on top of everything. Bradley is the amalgamation of every horrible boss. When you think he’s going to change, he just gets worse. He only invites her on the business trip to use her for her labor. While she’s doing the work, he is on the plane humiliating her in front of her colleagues.
The first act presents the audience with these two opposing characters and then drops them off on an island, which levels the playing field for Linda. We learn that not only is she a wizard with numbers, but is also a nature survivalist. It was fun to watch the tables turn once Bradley realizes there’s no HR in the wild. I originally thought that the script would transform into a feel good movie where the two would learn to work together. The second act goes down that lane, but ultimately I was wrong, which was a pleasant surprise! The third act takes a sharp turn down a darker path and I loved that. Linda Liddle gets everything she deserves, even if she’s unhinged. The more the movie progresses, we learned how much chaos she’s planned from the second they touch the sand. Send Help also has great pacing!
A Bloody Girl Boss
Although some of the humor is cringey (I loathe second-hand embarrassment), most of the comedic beats work. The writers, Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, also worked on Freddy vs. Jason and Friday the 13th (2009). Some of the office employees, especially the colleagues on the plane, feel like they could have been in Camp Crystal Lake in 2009, but I am interested in seeing what they work on next. The humor mixes well with the violence and gore. During the plane crash we are seeing employees being ripped from the plane, while others are frantically demanding that Linda sacrifice herself for them, which is what she was doing in the office so that tracks.
The funny dialogue is balanced with poisonings, eye-gouging, and murder. We even get a little undead action, because that’s on brand for Sam Raimi. Some of the CGI does not look great, but it’s easy to overlook because we don’t spend a lot of time with those scenes. Overall, Send Help has great pacing, good humor, and a dangerous competition between co-workers. It’s worth a watch!
