Director/writer Neil Jordan is probably best known for his work on the Oscar-winning drama The Crying Game (1992). The offbeat romantic suspense thriller kept everyone on their toes up until the very end while providing solid entertainment throughout. Since that time a few decades ago, Jordan has struggled to find matching success or anything close to it. To truly engage fans today, these creative types must find a way to give audiences at least the illusion of something they have yet to experience. Returning from a five-year hiatus with his small screen success of The Borgias well behind him, Jordan is hoping for a return to relevancy with a new thriller. Can Greta find success during this slow cinematic time?
Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz) and Erika (Maika Monroe) share a place together while enjoying life in New York City. Erika enjoys the hustle and bustle that the city has to offer, while Frances is more of a subdued type. You can’t really blame Frances though since she’s still getting over the loss of her mother. One day while traveling on the subway, Frances discovers an abandoned purse and decides to do the good christian thing and return it to its owner. To Frances’ relief, she’s able to track down the owner and provide a stranger with some good news. Greta (Isabelle Huppert) is a widowed mother is quite thankful to have someone to share words with, even if that person is basically a stranger.
Frances and Greta immediately find common ground and a relationship quickly buds. With Frances losing her mother and Greta feeling a bit lonely due to her late husband and a daughter that is off living in France, the pair seems to be just what the other needs. As time passes, Greta becomes further entrenched into Frances’ life. By the time it mentally registers that their friendship has become a little too intense and needy, Frances will have one hell of a time digging her way back out. Codependency turns into coercion as the intensity of this unhealthy relationship boils over. It is only then that Frances starts to realize the severity of the situation. Greta will not be easily dismissed as the entire situation comes to a head.
The real saving grace for Neil Jordan is that he cast two great actors in Isabelle Huppert and Chloë Grace Moretz to carry his movie. Greta, on the surface, looks to have potential but as it chugs along you realize that stupid decision after stupid decision will ultimately lead to an unsatisfying ending. Again, the silver lining of all of this is that you’ll be able to enjoy what Huppert and Moretz offer. For one, by the time everything gets out into the open, you will probably feel that Isabelle Huppert is really off of her rocker. And Chloë Grace Moretz’s naivety is genuine and you’ll also hope that she smartens up before it’s too late. Outside of these two, everyone else is simply window dressing.
The main draw to this stalkerish suspense thriller comes in the form of the very believable portrayals that lead actors, Isabelle Huppert and Chloë Grace Moretz, give to their respective characters. Very slowly throughout Greta, audiences will see a metamorphosis right before their eyes of characters becoming something totally different than what they started as. And it is in these two performances that will give a rather weak overall premise, the opportunity to become a compelling story for a good portion of the film’s duration. Clocking in at only 98 minutes long, one would most likely assume that they’re in for an experience that’s short and sweet. The reality is that it feels longer simply because it drags at times. With the solid acting performances however, audiences should be able to appreciate what these two female stars bring to the table.
Rating the entire body of work is less than favorable, and yet this isn’t a total waste. There is absolutely potential for this feature but, for the most part, it goes unrealized. Again, Huppert and Moretz are the main reasons to see this movie. Sadly they’re held back because Greta never fully reaches its potential. You can check it out in theaters now but you might want to temper any grand expectations you might have as this one is re-GRETA-bly tame by today’s standards.
