“Nightbitch” does have one thing going for it: Amy Adams. After “Arrival,” Adams fell into a kind of a cinematic rut, appearing in dreck like “Hillbilly Elegy,” “The Woman in the Window,” and “Dear Evan Hansen.” Her last starring role was in 2022’s seemingly forgotten “Enchanted” sequel “Disenchanted,” which went straight to Disney+. As such, she’s been absent from the screen for a while, so having her back and leading a film is a reason to take notice. And indeed, Adams is pretty damn wonderful here, throwing herself into the role and rising above that weak narration.Â
Adams’ performance is selfless and distinct, so much so that we completely buy her as a woman grappling with a type of canine lycanthropy. She also perfectly sells her character’s growing frustration with her monotonous, montage-heavy life while also making us understand that her character loves being a mom. Adams is complemented by the always-dependable McNairy, who does good work playing a guy who is pretty clueless, but not in a cruel way. McNairy’s Husband thinks he’s doing the best he can, and rightly points out that he can’t exactly read his wife’s mind and know how she’s feeling. At the same time, there are obvious signs of turmoil, and the Husband remains oblivious. He’s not a villain, nor is he cruel. He’s simply stuck in his own little world, as all of us are.
As “Nighbitch” unfolded, I kept waiting for it to find its footing. While there are occasional bright spots and moments of genuine humor (one scene is set to “Weird Al” Yankovic’s Devo-esque “Dare to Be Stupid,” which feels like a genuinely inspired choice), the film unfortunately struggles to match its fun concept. It also goes down several paths that muck up the narrative in needless ways (at one point, Adams, in dog form, kills the family cat — and this slaughter is played off for laughs later, which seems pointlessly cruel). To add insult to injury, the film doesn’t seem to really know what it wants to be. Is it a prestige picture featuring one of our finest actors, or a gnarly B-movie? Sure, it can be both, but one can’t help but think that if it had just tipped firmly into either of those directions instead of straddling the line, “Nightbitch” would succeed instead of stumbling. Still, Adams alone might make this worth a watch, just because it’s always a treat to watch her worrk. Let’s just hope she returns to better things after this, and soon.Â
/Film Rating: 5 out of 10
“Nighbitch” opens in theaters on December 6, 2024.