THE ASSISTANT (2023)

THE ASSISTANT (2023)

Tagline: If She Can’t Have Your Life, Neither Can You.

(Drama, Thriller, There Are No Giant Space Battles in This Movie) [R]

Note: This movie was given a TV-MA rating on streaming services but was not given an MPA rating. That is essentially a [R] rating had this movie been released theatrically. This movie is also called ASSISTANT which might have something to do with the fact that there are 4 or 5 movies already out there called THE ASSISTANT. 

In this one, Raven Fields is a really good, but very busy doctor. She is having a hard time keeping up with a lot of things and decides to start looking for an assistant. It doesn’t take long before the ultra-cheery Annie shows up and just starts giving her ridiculous amounts of coffee and taking care of her schedule etc. Annie gets the job but it doesn’t take long before Annie’s personal issues come to the surface and Raven decides to let her move in. The decision will change and threaten her life. 

First off, if a dude ever cheats on you once. Any grace you give them is undeserved. Because it’s grace. So them expecting you to behave a certain way is out of line. Bottom line, don’t cheat. Yes, that is part of this movie, it’s not just really sound advice flying at you from out of nowhere. Also, I thought the key under the mat thing went away in the 90’s? There seems to be an inordinate amount of that going on in this flick.

The two lead actresses in this movie start off with rocky super cheesy performances, but as the movie moves along, they seem to get more and more acclimated to the roles and play off each other well. I just wish they had come out of the gate strong. What isn’t all that great is any sort of originality. I guess there was a film actually called “THE ASSISTANT” that this movie is based on, but to me, it reminds me a bit more of SINGLE WHITE FEMALE with a few added and subtracted elements. 

Annie is played by Parker McKenna Posey probably best known for the TV show “My Wife And Kids”. Her performance for Annie is borderline annoying but she gets to show a ton of range in this which just adds to my respect for her acting skills. She was asked to play the character this way. This is a solid outing for both her and Erica Mena. Erica’s career is starting to blow up again not only with FOOTAGE FILMS in the “THE STEPMOTHER” series and more. I think it’s hard to really pinpoint her range until you watch this thing and then those. THE STEPMOTHER 3 in particular. By the way, that series also borrows from THE STEPFATHER horror series, but I digress. Erica Hubbard plays a close friend of Raven’s named Tiyana. Her character is probably the smartest in the entire movie, but as I have said in the past, being smart in a thriller or horror film doesn’t always help you. Erica’s career is also blowing up right now with 6 projects on the way. She is probably most famous for the TV series “Lincoln Heights”. Rounding out the main cast we have Flex Alexander (SNAKES ON A PLANE) who plays Shawn Fields. Dude is a cheater, so it’s hard to root for him at all, but Flex does a great job in the role. 

The last act delivers. These chicks keep getting back up after getting totally jacked up in a fight. I have seen a few reviews complaining about the ending, but I thought it was pretty solid. If anything there is a part of the end that I can see some people being annoyed by but giving that away would be a spoiler. This thing isn’t as straightforward as the plot description I offered. 

Overall this thing gets a 4 out of 7. Approaching it for what it is will help if you check this out. It’s really kind of an edgy Lifetime movie. Or at least it is from what I remember. I haven’t watched Lifetime in a few decades.

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF FOOTAGE FILMS AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY.