Skincare – An Engaging Character Thriller That Misses The Landing

Skincare is Austin Peters narrative feature debut that saw famed and legendary aesthetician Hope Goldman (Banks) preparing to enter the next phase of her career by launching her own retail line of skincare products, when a rival opens a boutique directly across from her store. After this, she begins to sense that someone is trying to sabotage her business and destroy her life after she becomes entangled in a series of increasingly menacing and dangerous situations. Consumed with paranoia, Hope goes on an investigation across Hollywood to find out who is responsible and save her business, by any means necessary. The film delivers an engaging thriller and fascinating character study that is definitely worth checking out, even if it doesn’t fully stick the landing.

Banks is a supremely talented actress who doesn’t get the credit she deserves for the wide range of roles she’s played over her career and her performance in Skincare is easily one of her best to date. Hope is a very different character for Banks to play as she plays against type, sinking her teeth in and completely owning it. While not exactly playing the most likeable of characters, audiences will feel all kinds of different emotions towards her throughout, but that’s what makes her so fascinating and a character one can’t look away from because of how much Banks owns this role. Meanwhile, the film is a terrific showcase for Pullman, who is excellent in getting to show off a whole new side of himself that most probably didn’t even know he possessed, as Jordan. Jordan required a lot from him but Pullman was more than up for the task, also having strong chemistry with Banks. Finally, Nathan Fillion doesn’t have a major part or anything, but he chews up the scenery in his few scenes as Brett Wright.

The film builds a quite compelling mystery that becomes increasingly appealing as it goes along, keeping audiences invested throughout. It also features some absolutely brilliant dark comedy which help prevent the film from going into full on horror/thriller territory, like it easily could have and some might wish it did. Avoiding feeling like a full blown thriller, it builds tension very well and the longer it goes on, the more uneasy audiences will feel as things continuously evolve and spiral out of control. Its setting, soundtrack, and score are also great and help to elevate a film who’s breezy 96-minute runtime clips along at a good pace, leaving very little room to drag or stall.

All that being said, the third act is a bit of a letdown that nearly ruins the film for how it squanders all the nicely built tension and set up over its first two acts. Now, it is hard to talk about said issues without getting into spoiler territory, but an underwhelming reveal leaves much to be desired. A lot of the film’s answers might make sense on paper, however, most don’t work and some of the directions it takes in that third act are pretty dumb or don’t feel natural in the context of the story. It’s a shame that as the film approached the end, it essentially drove itself off a cliff, diminishing everything that came before.

In the end, despite a weak final act, everything that came before makes Skincare well worth a watch, especially for Elizabeth Banks fan or fans of similar thrillers. However, it is just a shame that the film takes such a massive nosedive in the third act and fails to stick the landing because it certainly had all the makings of being one of the stronger films of the year thus far.

still courtesy of IFC Films

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/