Send Help
Send Help
Starring Rachel McAdams, Dylan O'Brien, Edyll Ismail, Xavier Samuel
Directed by Sam Raimi
Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) has worked in the Planning and Strategy department of Preston Strategic Solutions for seven years, and has earned the respect of its founder. Yet after he dies and he passes control to his young, bratty son Bradley (Dylan O'Brien), she unwittingly assumes that the promotion his father promised her will come to fruition. However, Bradley doesn't see anything worthy of quality in Linda due to her appearance, and instead promotes his frat bro friend Donovan (Xavier Samuel). Yet he throws an olive branch by inviting her to Thailand for a business trip, and during the flight the plane crashes and kills everyone on board, with the exception of Linda and Bradley, who wash ashore on a deserted island.
Linda - a trained survivalist - flourishes on the island while Bradley - a man born with a silver spoon in his mouth - is completely inept to survive, turning the tables of power to Linda's corner to Bradley's dismay. He wants off the island, but she has found herself there, and the two dueling personalities come to an explosive head where only one might survive.
A delightful surprise, "Send Help" works on multiple levels and you can sense the inspirations that writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift take from. "Misery," Cast Away," "Swept Away," "Six Days and Seven Nights" and "Triangle of Sadness" ooze out onto the screen with Sam Raimi's directorial flare, making what could've been a boring essentially two-person story into one that's heavily layered, with numerous laugh-out-loud moments along with gleeful gore that comes out of nowhere and makes it all the more visceral and delightful.
"Send Help" works so well because its central theme is something that pretty much everyone can relate to. A woman who's more than qualified to move up in the company is pushed aside because of her mousy personality, while a young hotshot good looking man who just started working for the company gets her position because of his friendship with the boss. We pretty much have all been there, so seeing the boss get his comeuppance is wonderful and well-deserved. Seeing the role reversal is exquisite, and its execution is sublime. It doesn't waste a moment of its story, and every moment feels equally important.
Against different actors this could've fallen hard, but when you get Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien, you'll get the best they have to offer. McAdams has been a mainstay in cinema for decades and has shown her resilience to play any type of genre. From supreme mean girl in "Mean Girls" to every female's favorite romantic movie "The Notebook" and her Oscar-nominated performance in "Spotlight," she always transforms into her roles with effortless charm. Here, she does something she hasn't done before: play a quiet, demure, rough looking woman who spends her free time watching "Survivor" with her pet bird, eating tuna sandwiches, and reading up on survival skills. It takes a lot to make someone like her look like she did, and kudos to the hair, makeup, and costume designers who did so. Linda is the perfect stand-in for everyone who's gone through what she goes through in the movie, and seeing her thrive on the island (and also grow more beautiful physically, while Bradley diminishes) is majestic. She also lets loose her comedic chops (in particular when she takes down a crazed animal) and even though we think we know all about her, there's still some mysteries that she keeps hidden under the surface.
Dylan O'Brien, on the other hand, is an open book. He's conceited, snobby, stuck-up, glamorous, and pampered. He doesn't see worth in Linda because of her appearance, but once he finds himself needing to rely on her, he grows more resentful by the day. He can't survive on an island, and knows that he needs Linda's help, but through every nice deed he does there's an undercurrent of anger and rage that shines in O'Brian's physical performance. You're always on edge for Linda, because you know - and in a way she does too - that he's only using her for his needs, and every promise he makes to her are as fake as Dolly Parton's boobs.
This dynamic power shift is the crux of the film, and seeing them interact with this sense of tension keeps you on the edge of your seat, but Sam Raimi doesn't stop there. He throws in his unique directing style to make the movie downright hilarious in its insanity. From very close-up shots of people's faces (in particular when Bradley sees a piece of tuna on Linda's chin) to extremely over-the-top gore (as in the aforementioned animal attack), to purposefully shoddy CGI and even some "Evil Dead" dream-like vibes, no one can deny this is a Raimi picture through and through.
"Send Help" is a fantastic film that centers on two characters who you get to know inside and out - and still find surprises along the way. Led by tremendous performances by Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien, this Sam Raimi film highlights everything he does right throughout his decades-long career and provides audiences with both a tense survival story and a hilarious power struggle filled with every good thing Raimi has to offer.
The Score: A+
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