Review: Unforgettable

A glossy thriller that almost plays like a parody of the guilty pleasure psychosexual dramas of the Eighties and Nineties, Unforgettable is a tale of two stories - one serious, the other borderline camp - that somehow manages to work despite itself.

The serious is embodied by Julia Banks (Rosario Dawson), seen at the start leaving her job as a writer for a website in order to embark upon her new life with fiance David (Geoff Stults), a former Wall Street shark turned brewery owner. Julia carries a great deal of baggage with her - the daughter of a neglectful mother and alcoholic father, she's also recovering from an abusive relationship with her ex-boyfriend Michael (Simon Kassianides). Her insecurities surge to the forefront as she steps into the life that was once Tessa's.

Tessa is David's ex-wife, a statuesque platinum blonde played to icy, crazed perfection by Katherine Heigl. Tessa is a controlling and possessive perfectionist, groomed to within an inch of her life, and recovering from the dissolution of her seemingly perfect marriage. The two women do their best to civil, not just for the sake of David, but for the sake of young Lily (Isabella Kai Rice), whose custody is shared between David and Tessa. It's a period of adjustment that's all too relatable and, though Tessa is obviously the villain, the film affords her some sympathy before she goes into full-on woman scorned mode.

Indeed, as wonderfully warm and sympathetic as Dawson renders Julia, it's difficult not to delight in Tessa's ludicrous machinations, which range from the minor (undermining Julia's parenting abilities, stealing her engagement ring) to the major (creating a fake Facebook account as Julia so she can reach out to Michael). The high point of her insanity? It may be a toss-up between Tessa masturbating during one of the increasingly sexual online chats with Michael and deliberately falling down the stairs and telling David that Julia pushed her. Oh, and Tessa also frames Julia for murder. It's all utter nonsense and yet so enjoyably watchable.

Despite the inherent silliness, producer Denise Di Novi, making her feature film directorial debut, does elevate the material with fine production values and a keen eye for seeking out the insightful observations about human nature in Christina Hodson's screenplay. Persona this most definitely is not, but Unforgettable in its own way explores how identity and image can lead to a type of insanity. Though the two are ostensibly fighting over a man, as Julia herself notes, "it's not about David" (which may go a long way in explaining the blandness of the character and Stults' performance). Yes, it's about the ultimate showdown between the two women, but it's also about how insecurity and jealousy can scramble the senses.

Unforgettable

Directed by: Denise Di Novi

Written by: Christina Hodson

Starring: Rosario Dawson, Katherine Heigl, Geoff Stults, Cheryl Ladd, Whitney Cummings, Jayson Blair, Simon Kassianides, Isabella Kai Rice