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★★
Directed by: #CJJulianus
Written by: #LorrisaJulianus
Starring: #LorrisaJulianus,#MickeyOSullivan, #ShannonBrown
Film Review by: Emily Davison
Art History PhD dropout-turned-dominatrix, Ava Moriarty (Julianus), only has thirty days to repay a massive loan to her mobster ex. She is forced to win the heart of Episcopal priest, Father ‘Dracula’ Radovan Markovic, who is unwittingly hiding the world’s greatest lost painting. Will she fall for him or destroy his life?
The Misadventures of Mistress Maneater (2020) is a US indie romantic comedy, with a dash of film noir and action thrown in on the side. Produced by Binary Star Pictures, the feature was filmed in the Chicago suburbs and northwest Indiana and certainly gets off to a rocky start.
Although the premise is intriguing, the finished product is rather unremarkable and pacing does lag in many areas, especially during the first act. The plot definitely becomes more engaging later on, however, the film seems to meander from one scene to another with barely any setup for the strong female lead and her associates. Initial character development is poor, but does improve once things really get going and our romantic leads become more entwined. It is the classic will they/won’t they, with crime antics thrown into the mix.
The plot remains fairly unpredictable for the most part and it was difficult to see where everything was leading to, including a couple of welcome twists and turns. The cinematography doesn’t have anything particularly noteworthy to offer, which is perfectly understandable considering its lower budget and the humour is certainly a mixed bag. Many of the jokes feel unoriginal, with text notifications coming through on Ava’s phone accompanied by juvenile sound effects and her feeling the need to speak her line of text for the audiences’ benefit.
Julianus is the clear star of the show, giving a delightfully dynamic and electric performance as Ava. She shares great chemistry with her co-star Mickey O’Sullivan and both are given good opportunities to demonstrate their talents. There are some questionable performances from other background extras, but Shannon Brown as Gabe lit up many scenes with his warm charisma.
Although The Misadventures of Mistress Maneater exhibits two solid performances from its talented leads, it is let down by a flimsy first act and not enough substance to justify its emotional screenplay.
The Misadventures of Mistress Maneater (2020) trailer:
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