The basic plot line of “Unforgettable” is revenge, but the idea of the revenge- drama is far from ground-breaking, and this film does little to add anything new to the genre.
The storyline viewers wander through for an hour and forty minutes is as such: Tessa, played by Katherine Heigl, seeks to ruin the life and marriage of her ex-husband’s new fianceé, Julia, played by Rosario Dawson out of spite and jealousy. The duo formerly divorced due to an affair Tessa had with another man, and now she is brewing in remorse as she watches her ex-husband and his new fianceé thrive in the wake of the success of his new microbrewery and gain the primary custody of her daughter.
Tessa’s plan to deal with this is by reintroducing Julia’s ex-boyfriend and violent abuser back into her life. Tessa hopes that it will drive Julia and her ex-husband to break up, letting Tessa slide into Julia’s place. Although the description of the film depicts a juicy scandal, the rest of the movie fails to follow through and create a believable and investing story.
“Unforgettable” is mangled with glaring flaws and plot holes, to the point that it barely offers enough continuity to allow a legitimate criticism about its story. While Director Denise De Novi had the opportunity to create a valuable narrative about abuse in relationships, Unforgettable misses the mark for empathy and falls flat. The flashbacks Julia, Portrayed by Rosario Dawson, was about her abusive past are vividly realistic and frightening, which is confusing paired with its inapt script.
The film is riddled with logical fallacies that confuse the audience and discredit the story that is attempting to be told. The crux of this movie’s problems relies on believability. For example, Tessa casually bumping into her ex-husband’s new fianceé, Julia, played by Rosario Dawson, around town. Bear in mind this film takes place in Los Angeles County, an area with a population of over 10 million. At one point, Heigl’s character says to Dawson’s in complete seriousness, that it’s a “small town,” and she’ll get used to running into her. Even members of the audience exchanged confused glances.
Secondly, everyone in this film is filthy rich. And normally that’s not hard to believe in a big-budget Hollywood movie, except everyone’s job’s could not afford the lifestyle that was scripted for them on screen. For example, Tessa lives alone and is unemployed in what could easily be a 5 million dollar home in Malibu. Julia is an editor in chief of a small silicon valley start-up publication, and her fianceé just opened a microbrewery. Together they support themselves and their daughter in a huge home in Los Angeles and drive multiple cars. Of course, while the film didn’t have to detail the finances of each character, it comes off the viewer like the makers of the film just wanted to cash in on the trendy, yuppie-feel.
A scene that perhaps epitomizes the obscurity and laughability of this movie is when Tessa is reflecting on her devious plan. A stiff, wide-eyed Tessa reclines in her luxe, confusingly long-island-esque Malibu mansion, as her diabolical plan to destroy the life of her ex-husband’s new fianceé unfolds. The mood of bitterness and revenge is palpable. Heigl’s character is wearing a long, white, silk gown; her hair parted flawlessly down the center. Then she takes a fat rip of a vape pen.
The creative elements used in “Unforgettable” in combination with its script make a poor attempt to create a believable scandal, or make an important statement about abuse and the harm it causes, even though it was introduced as a theme. However, this film is amusing all on its own if one isn’t looking for an authentic nail-biting drama. While I would not recommend cashing into this big- budget Hollywood attempt to woo the masses, “Unforgettable” is a film certain to join the ranks of movies remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Madeline may be reached at
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