Thursday, March 8, 2018

Thoroughbreds Movie Review

Olivia Cooke & Anya Taylor-Joy (r) star in Thoroughbreds

Feelings, Wo-O-O Feelings

Rotten Tomatoes Plot: Childhood friends Lily (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Amanda (Olivia Cooke) reconnect in suburban Connecticut after years of growing apart. Lily has turned into a polished, upper-class teenager, with a fancy boarding school on her transcript and a coveted internship on her resume; Amanda has developed a sharp wit and her own particular attitude, but all in the process of becoming a social outcast. Though they initially seem completely at odds, the pair bond over Lily's contempt for her oppressive stepfather, Mark (Paul Sparks) and as their friendship grows, they begin to bring out one another's most destructive tendencies. Their ambitions lead them to hire a local hustler, Tim (Anton Yelchin) and take matters into their own hands to set their lives straight. Directed Cory Finley.


Finley slugs a home run in his feature directorial debut, Thoroughbreds. It's aimed at younger audiences; but make no mistake, this is a movie meant for attentive cinephiles who appreciate great direction, sound and writing. Amanda and Lily aren't your average teens, and you couldn't find two better actors (Cooke, Taylor-Joy) to bring them to life. Their back and forth is worth the price of admission alone; but this near-masterpiece doesn't end with it's vivacious stars. Clever and compelling from start to finish, with intervals of humor & playfulness... and a perfect runtime (90 minutes.)

Grade: A-