The Interview is a 2014 black comedy-action political satire film super interesting produced and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg in their second directorial work, following This Is the End (2013). The screenplay was written by Dan Sterling, based on a story he co-wrote with Rogen and Goldberg. The film stars Rogen and James Franco as journalists who set up an interview with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (Randall Park), and are then recruited by the CIA to assassinate him. The film is inspired by a 2012 Vice documentary.
Rogen and Goldberg developed the idea for The Interview in the late 2000s, with Kim Jong Il as the original assassination target. In 2011, after Kim Jong Il's death and Kim Jong Un's succession as the North Korean leader, Rogen and Goldberg redeveloped the script with the focus on Kim Jong Un's character. The Interview was first announced in March 2013, at the beginning of pre-production. Principal photography was in Vancouver from October to December 2013. The film was produced by Columbia Pictures, LStar Capital and Rogen and Goldberg's Point Grey Pictures, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing.
In June 2014, the North Korean government threatened action against the United States if Sony released the film. As a result, Sony delayed the release from October to December and reportedly re-edited the film to make it more acceptable to North Korea. In November, the computer systems of Sony were hacked by the "Guardians of Peace", a cybercrime group which may be connected with the North Korean government.The group also threatened terrorist attacks against theaters showing the film. This led to major theater chains opting not to release the film, and Sony instead releasing it for online digital rental and purchase on December 25, 2014, followed by a limited release at selected theaters the next day.
In December 2014, South Korean singer Yoon Mi-rae revealed that the film used her song "Pay Day" without permission, and that she was taking legal action. Yoon Mi-rae and her label Feel Good Music reached a settlement with Sony Pictures Entertainment on May 13, 2015.
The Interview grossed $40 million in digital rentals, making it Sony's most successful digital release and earned an additional $12.3 million worldwide in box office ticket sales on a $44 million budget. It received mixed reviews for its humour and subject matter, although a few critics praised the performances of Rogen, Franco, Park and Diana Bang.
Trailer
PLOT
Dave Skylark is the host of the talk show Skylark Tonight, where he interviews celebrities (including Eminem and Rob Lowe) mainly about personal topics. The broadcast is interrupted by news reports about North Korea concerning its leader Kim Jong Un and the nuclear weapons. After Skylark and his crew celebrate producer Aaron Rapaport's 1,000th episode, Rapaport is upset by a producer peer, who criticizes the show as not being a real news program. He voices his concern to Skylark, urging change. Skylark agrees and later discovers that Kim Jong Un is a fan of their show, prompting Rapaport to arrange an interview for him. Traveling to the outskirts of Dandong, China, to receive instructions from the North Korean chief propagandist Sook-yin Park, Rapaport accepts the interview on behalf of Skylark.
Following Rapaport's return, CIA agent Lacey shows up, requesting they assassinate Kim with a transdermal strip of ricin via handshake to prevent the country from launching a nuclear missile at the West Coast; they reluctantly agree. Skylark carries the strip inside a pack of gum. Upon arrival in Pyongyang, they are greeted by Sook and taken to the palace. They are introduced to Kim's personal security officers Koh and Yu who are immediately suspicious of the duo; when Koh finds the strip, he chews it, mistaking it for gum. After making a secret request for help, Lacey airdrops them two more strips via an UAV, but to get it back to their room, Rapaport has to evade a Siberian tiger and hide the container in his rectum before getting caught by security.
The next day, Skylark meets Kim and spends the day playing basketball, hanging out, riding in his personal tank and partying with escorts. Kim convinces Skylark that he is misunderstood as both a cruel dictator and a failed administrator, and they become friends. At a state dinner, Koh has a seizure from the ricin poisoning, accidentally shooting Yu before dying. The next morning, Skylark feels guilty, discarding one of the ricin strips and thwarts Rapaport's attempt to poison Kim with the second strip. After a dinner mourning the deaths of the bodyguards, Skylark witnesses Kim's malicious self as he threatens war against South Korea, the West and everyone who tries to undermine him. Skylark leaves and discovers that a nearby grocery store is fake, realizing Kim has been lying to him. At the same time, during an attempt to seduce Rapaport (who still has the ricin strip on his hand), Sook reveals she despises Kim and apologizes for defending the regime. Skylark returns and tries to get Sook's support to assassinate Kim, but she disagrees, suggesting to instead ruin his cult of personality and show the North Korean people the dire state of the country. The trio secretly devise a plan to expose him on air and arm themselves with guns. Before the broadcast begins, Kim gives Skylark a puppy as a symbol of their friendship.
During the internationally televised interview with Kim, Skylark addresses increasingly sensitive topics (including the country's food shortage and US-imposed economic sanctions) and challenges his need for his father's approval. Meanwhile, Sook and Rapaport take over the control booth to fend off Kim's guards trying to cut off the broadcast. Despite his initial resistance, Kim eventually cries uncontrollably, soiling himself after Skylark sings "Firework" by Katy Perry (knowing of Kim's fondness of her music), ruining his reputation. Enraged at Skylark's betrayal, Kim shoots him and vows to get revenge by launching the nuclear missile. Skylark, whose bulletproof vest saves him, regroups with Rapaport and Sook to escape (alongside the puppy) with the help of a guard. The trio hijacks Kim's tank to get to their pickup point, killing several more guards in the process. Kim chases the group in a helicopter but is shot down and killed by Skylark before he can issue the command to launch the missile.
With the missile launch thwarted, Sook guides Skylark and Rapaport to an escape route, explaining that she has to return to Pyongyang to maintain security. The two are later rescued by SEAL Team Six officers disguised as North Korean soldiers. Back in the US, Skylark writes a book about his experience in North Korea, Rapaport returns to work as a producer (and maintains contact with Sook via Skype), while North Korea becomes a denuclearized democracy with Sook as an interim leader.
Production on the film first began in 2012 with Tom Cruise attached to star. The film then fell into development hell until Netflix acquired the distribution rights. Filming commenced in November 2020 and wrapped in March 2021. The Adam Project began a limited "one night only" theatrical release on March 9, 2022 followed by its digital release on Netflix on March 11. The film received mixed reviews with praise for the performances, action sequences, visual effects, and its inspiration from movies of the 1980s, as well as criticism for the writing and storyline.
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PLOT
In a dystopian 2050, fighter pilot Adam Reed steals a time jet to escape to 2018 to save his wife, Laura. In the process, he gets injured and crash-lands in 2022. Following the death of his father Louis a year previously, a 12-year-old Adam is bullied at school, gets suspended for fighting in school, and is distant from his mother Ellie. When he is home alone one night, he finds the injured future Adam. The younger Adam refuses to trust the stranger, but future Adam inadvertently mentions the names of both the younger Adam and his dog, Hawking. The younger Adam soon realizes that the stranger in front of him is his future self.
Due to a safety feature preventing him from flying because of his injuries, Adam must bring along the younger Adam and use his DNA to enter his jet. They both are soon attacked by Maya Sorian, the leader of the dystopian world, and her assistant Christos, but are saved by Laura, who had faked her death and stayed off-grid in an unknown location. After surviving the attack and comparing notes, Laura and the Adams realize that after the invention of time travel by Louis and his subsequent death, Sorian had monopolized the discovery. During her visit to 2018, Laura learned Sorian frequently came and advised her past self in order to secure her future wealth and power. To protect her secret, Sorian ordered Laura's death. Although Laura survived the assassination attempt, destruction of her time jet left her stranded in the past. The sudden arrival of Sorian's goons interrupts the reunion, and Laura fights off the attack long enough for the two Adams to escape to 2018.
In 2018, the Adams meet Louis in an attempt to enlist his help, but their father refuses any assistance out of concern for the effect on the time stream. That night, Sorian meets and warns her past self about Adam. Meanwhile, the Adams share their common feelings about their father in a motel. The next day, they both set off to destroy the time travel machine. On arrival at Sorian Technologies, they are attacked by Sorian's soldiers, but are unexpectedly saved by Louis, who has changed his mind and agrees to guide them. Louis reveals that destroying the machine will not destroy time travel as long as Sorian has his algorithm with all the math and constraints to control the process. Meanwhile, 2050 Sorian captures the younger Adam.
Although Louis and 2050 Adam remove a memory unit with the algorithm, both Sorians arrive and threaten 2022 Adam as leverage to coerce Louis into surrendering the algorithm. 2050 Adam stalls and allows 2022 Adam to escape from Sorian by pushing her gun away, but an errant bullet damages the seal restraining the electromagnetic field, causing it to grow to limitless values. The Reeds try as much as they can to stop them, but the older Sorian threatens to kill Louis. Adam warns that her bullets are armor-piercing, but Louis remains adamant. Seeing no other way, Sorian shoots at Louis, but the path of the bullet is altered by the electromagnetic field and hits 2018 Sorian instead, killing her and wiping both Sorians out of existence.
The Reeds barely manage to escape the facility's implosion and reach home, where they reconcile by playing a game of catch before the Adams return to their respective times. In 2022, the younger Adam lives in a new timeline where he never got suspended, has let go of his anger, and gives his mother a hug via an "echo". Sometime in the future, an older and much happier Adam meets Laura during a flight training lecture where she realizes, to Adam's amusement, she has entered the wrong building on the campus. Adam offers to walk her to her building, stating that he has got time, and they depart together.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Spanish: Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios) is a 1988 Spanish black comedy film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Carmen Maura and Antonio Banderas. The plot follows actress Pepa, who, after her lover Iván leaves without explanation, sets out to find the reason, and comes across an array of eccentric characters, including Iván's son from a previous relationship and her best friend Candela, who has been held captive by a Shiite terrorist cell.
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PLOT
Television actress Pepa Marcos is depressed because her boyfriend Iván has left her. They are voice actors who dub foreign films, notably Johnny Guitar with Joan Crawford and Sterling Hayden. Iván's sweet-talking voice is the same one he uses in his work. About to leave on a trip, he has asked Pepa to pack his things in a suitcase he will pick up later.
Pepa returns home to find her answering machine filled with frantic messages from her friend, Candela; she rips out the phone and throws it out the window onto the balcony. Candela arrives; before she can explain her situation, Carlos (Iván's son with Lucía, his previous lover) arrives with his snobbish fiancée Marisa. They are apartment-hunting, and have chosen Pepa's penthouse to tour. Carlos and Pepa figure out each other's relationship to Iván; Pepa wants to know where Iván is, but Carlos does not know. Candela tries to kill herself by jumping off the balcony.
A bored Marisa decides to drink gazpacho from the fridge, unaware that it has been spiked with sleeping pills. Candela explains that she had an affair with an Arab who later visited her with some friends. Unbeknownst to her, they are a Shiite terrorist cell. When the terrorists leave, Candela flees to Pepa's place; she fears that the police are after her. Pepa goes to see a lawyer whom Carlos has recommended.
The lawyer, Paulina, behaves strangely, and has tickets to Stockholm. Candela tells Carlos that the Shiites plan to hijack a flight to Stockholm that evening and divert it to Beirut, where they have a friend who was arrested. Carlos fixes the phone, calls the police, hangs up before (he believes) they can trace the call, and kisses Candela. Pepa returns; Lucía calls and says that she is coming over to confront her about Iván. Carlos says that Lucía has recently been released from a mental hospital. Pepa, tired of Iván, throws his suitcase out (barely missing him); he leaves Pepa a message.
Pepa returns to her apartment and hears Carlos playing Lola Beltrán's "Soy Infeliz". She throws the record out the window, and it hits Paulina. Pepa hears Iván's message, rips out the phone and throws the answering machine out of the window. Lucía arrives with the telephone repairman and the police, who traced Carlos' call. Candela panics, but Carlos serves the spiked gazpacho. The policemen and repairman are knocked out, and Carlos and Candela fall asleep on the sofa; Lucía aims a policeman's gun at Pepa, who figures out that Iván is going to Stockholm with Paulina and their flight is the one the terrorists are planning to hijack. Lucía says that she faked being sane when she heard Iván's voice dubbed on a foreign film. She throws the gazpacho in Pepa's face, and rushes to the airport to kill Iván.
Pepa chases her in a cab with her neighbour, Ana. At the airport, Lucía sees Iván and Paulina at security and aims her gun at them. Pepa thwarts the murder attempt by rolling a luggage cart at Lucía, before fainting. Iván rushes to Pepa's aid and apologises for the way he has been treating her, offering to talk things out with her. Pepa, however, declares it is now too late and leaves. She returns to her home, which is a mess. Pepa sits on her balcony, where Marisa has just awakened. The women chat, sharing a moment of tranquility, and Pepa finally reveals what she wanted to tell Iván: she is pregnant.
Jimmy Callahan provides best man services, through The Best Man Inc., for guys who don't have the friends needed for a wedding. Doug Harris, a successful tax attorney, and his fiancée Gretchen Palmer are planning their wedding. Frantically needing a best man and groomsmen, Doug contacts Jimmy's company.
Doug needs a "Golden Tux" (seven groomsmen) to match with Gretchen's bridesmaids, which has never been done before. Jimmy agrees to do it for $50,000, all expenses paid.
Three of Jimmy's friends are recruited as groomsmen: Fitzgibbons, a federal prison escapee, Lurch, who has a nagging wife and Reggie, an airport security guard. They interview for the four remaining spots: they choose Kip, sexy with a stutter; Endo, has three testicles; Bronstein, can dislocate and relocate his shoulder; and Otis, can say sentences backwards.
Doug tells Gretchen that "Bic" is a military priest based in El Salvador, and she insists that he also come to the family brunch. There, Doug gets nervous, almost blowing his cover until Jimmy accidentally sets Gretchen's grandmother on fire. In the emergency room, Jimmy lies to Gretchen's father Ed, that they used to play football. So he challenges them to a match with some of his old college teammates.
Doug meets his groomsmen, all with fake identities based on the last names of famous Los Angeles sports figures—Plunkett, Rambis, Garvey, Alzado, Drysdale, Carew, and Dickerson. Jimmy takes Doug and the groomsmen on fake photo shoots of skydiving, scuba-diving, etc..
When Doug begins to have doubts, they visit Edmundo, who tells him the key is to please Gretchen and her mother Lois and nothing else. To prove how good he is at being a best man, Jimmy takes Doug to a wedding where the best man makes a terrible speech. After, they have drinks and show off their dance moves. Jimmy tells him how he gave an excellent best man speech for an acquaintance which led to his career as a wedding ringer. Doug explains that he moved a lot with his parents, so he never got to make friends. When his parents died, Doug took over the business, and work consumed him, leaving him without friends and therefore a best man. Jimmy drives Doug home, and reiterates that they are in a business relationship, and Doug, although hurt, agrees.
At Doug's outrageous bachelor party he is introduced to Nadia, who tries to seduce him, but Doug instead befriends her. A prank involving peanut butter, a dog and a blindfolded Doug's goes awry, requiring the groomsmen and Nadia to rush him to a hospital. When he wakes up the next day, Nadia kisses him goodbye, she hints she would like to know him better. Later, the groomsmen play football with Ed and his college football friends, including Joe Namath, John Riggins, and Ed "Too Tall" Jones. A mud bowl ensues, Ed blows out his knee on the last play and the wedding party team wins.
At the rehearsal dinner, Gretchen's bridesmaids sing a song, while Doug's groomsmen create a slideshow of the fake pictures they took, winning Gretchen over. That night, she notices the Bic razors and Mitchum deodorant in the cabinet, and recognizes the last names of the groomsmen and deduces the scheme. Asking Doug about it, he brushes it off, saying she is paranoid, to which she reluctantly agrees.
On the wedding day, the family priest cancels, so Doug suggests that Jimmy officiate. At the reception, Jimmy congratulates Gretchen, who exclaims that the wedding is a disaster as her zipper is torn, her grandmother has third degree burns, her dad's knee is blown out, the food is bad, and she doesn't love Doug (saying she only married him because he is nice and can easily afford her lavish lifestyle). Doug overhears, telling Jimmy that he can't go through with it, but Jimmy dismisses this.
As Jimmy gives his best man speech, Doug stops him, revealing they aren't really married as "Bic" is not a real priest, nor are his groomsmen who they claim to be. Gretchen is livid that her wedding is ruined. Ed's college friends make peace with Doug and Jimmy and tell them they were good players. Jimmy gets a date with Gretchen's sister, Allison. As they leave, Doug pays Jimmy his $50,000 fee and they accept each other's friendship. Jimmy then has the idea to cash in Doug's first class honeymoon tickets to Tahiti, going instead on a guys trip, along with Nadia (who is now with Doug).
The Best of Me is an American romantic drama film directed by Michael Hoffman and written by Will Fetters and J. Mills Goodloe, based on Nicholas Sparks' 2011 novel of the same name. The film stars James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan with Luke Bracey and Liana Liberato.
Shooting began on March 6, 2014 in New Orleans. The film was released on October 17, 2014 by Relativity Media. Previews in selected test markets were shown on October 15.
Plot/Summary
Dawson Cole works on an oil rig off the coast of Louisiana. One day, an explosion on the job nearly kills him, throwing him into the water, but miraculously, he survives. Months later after recovering, Dawson learns that his close friend and surrogate father, Tuck Hostetler , has died and returns home for the first time in almost twenty years to carry out Tuck's final wishes. When he arrives at his house, Dawson is surprised to find that Tuck also arranged for Dawson's high school girlfriend, Amanda Collier, to join him. It seems that Tuck's intention was that Dawson and Amanda would perhaps rekindle their former romance. However, Amanda is now married.
Going back to 1992, Dawson was born into a notorious backwoods criminal family with an abusive father. As a teenager, it is revealed that his cousin Bobby was going to be a teen parent along with his girlfriend April. When leaving the restaurant they were at, April's car breaks down. Being a helpful person Dawson gets out of the car and tells her to put the car in neutral and tries to go get help. He then goes ask the people in the car behind him if they were going to help push or just honk to which they just honk. In that car, however, was Amanda realizes that her friends were being jerks and decides to go help Dawson. Once they had the car to the side of the road, Amanda offers to call a tow truck to which Dawson decline saying he can fix it. See how kind he was tries to hit on him but Dawson is oblivious to any of it, to the dismay of his friends. When he got home his father is mad that he didn't say hello when he walked in so Dawson begrudgingly says hi. Not being satisfied he father threatens to beat him. Not feeling respected he left his father's home and stayed overnight in Tuck Hostetler's garage. Tuck, a local mechanic who had recently lost his wife, allows Dawson to live with him and eventually considers him a son of his own. One day at school Dawson sees Amanda at her car with the front open. He comes over to see what is going on to where he easily finds the problem being a disconnected battery. Amanda then asks him on a date to which he says yes. However, Dawson never came. Amanda being mad goes over to his house where she finds him working on a car. He then explains to her that the reason he didn't want to go out in public was that he had gotten a black eye earlier that day. In response, Amanda tells him to take her someplace private to which they go to a local water tower. It is here where Amanda tells Dawson about her plans for the future is going to Tulane University and wanting to work for a non-profit. The two start dating a truly fall in love. Before the prom, Dawson's father and brothers beat Tuck. Dawson angered, goes to his father's house with the intent of killing him with Tuck's rifle. However, in the scuffle Bobby is accidentally killed. In exchange for a lighter sentence, Dawson testifies against his father and brothers. However, since Dawson will not be paroled for another four years, he cuts ties with Amanda, forcing her to choose college over staying with him.
After Tuck's death, Amanda and Dawson meet with Tuck's lawyer and learn that he has left them with cottage he and he wife lived in and that they are to scatter Tuck's ashes there. Things start out with rocky with Amanda and Dawson keeping their distance and doing it for Tuck. Once Dawson stumbles upon a photo of Tuck, Amanda, and her daughter, Amanda starts to open up about what has happened over the past twenty years. She tells him that she went to Tulane University as planned but unexpectedly got pregnant. Afterward, she got married to a guy named Frank and had two children: Jared and Bee. She also tells Dawson that Bee had just turned two in that photo had been diagnosed with leukemia a few weeks later and passed away. Dawson comforts and consoles her and says that he couldn't fathom what that was like. Later, Dawson and Amanda spend a passionate night together. While having dinner Amanda asks if he had been in any relationships or had loved anyone. In response, Dawson said that she set a pretty high bar. Amanda then feels a bit guilty and touched being the only one he had truly loved. While walking to the car Amanda admits that she intentionally pulled the battery out of the car just so he could save her. However, Dawson knew all along that was the case and Amanda wonders why he did tell her to which Dawson replies when was a mechanic ever the hero of the story. Amand then goes in and kisses him. next day the take a ride in Dawson's stickshift car and Amanda is taught by Dawson how to operate it. They then come back to the cottage where they spread Tuck's ashers. They sit down at boat dock discuss their plans during which Amanda tells Dawson that she came every day for month and every week for a year. Dawson says to her that he knew about every time she came, she gets mad and walks away. Dawson, pleading for her to listen says that he only did that to alleviate some of the pain. Amanda then says that he didn't take away any of the pain and confesses that she would have waited as long as it took. She then says (knowing full well how wrong it was) that when Jared was born she wanted to tell him and when Bee died of Leukemia she wanted him to hold her and Dawson does just that. She hated him for it because she would have done anything for him and he took that option away from her. After admitting he was wrong the two of them kiss and makeup. Later that day, while by the fire Amanda and Dawson reminisce over their song "Sweet Jamie" and Amanda says to Dawson that she had always trusted for life to work out and that she doesn't feel that way anymore. Dawson then gets up, and to Amanda's surprise and glee, he goes to his car and plays that same song in his car. The two then dance and Amanda admits that he is not stepping on her feet to which Dawson replies that he hasn't yet. Afterward, they have sex and both are happy beyond content. The following day, they are both reminded of old times with a rose in a bottle. Later they both jump into the nearby lake and Amanda lies on her back as Dawson holds her. Then while sitting outside looking at the garden, Amanda gets a phone call from her son Jared asking how it was going and asks when she will be back. She says she will be back in a few days and hangs up. Dawson then says that Amanda should go back and respect her commitments to her family and only loves her more for it. Amanda knows that she should but doesn't know how to say goodbye. Dawsons says that he will be here and will always love her. She then decides to return to her family and her strained marriage, to meet her family commitments.
When Amanda goes home, Dawson remains at Tuck's to restore the garden. However, she later plans to split up with her husband, and she leaves Dawson a voicemail expressing her love. Before anything more can happen between them, Dawson is attacked and almost killed by his brothers and is almost pushed in front of a moving train. Dawson knocks out his brothers, but after calling 911, he is spotted by his father across the railroad tracks and is shot dead.
Meanwhile, Amanda's son is in an automobile accident and receives a heart from a donor. Amanda's mother in tears sobbingly tells Amanda of the tragic death of Dawson, and she is heartbroken. A year later, Jared calls her from college saying that since it has been a year since the accident, he has learned the identity of his donor and wonders if Amanda knew him: Dawson Cole. Amanda says that she did and starts to cry happily They agree that she will tell Jared about him when he comes home for spring break.
Mark Watson is the pampered son of a rich family who is about to attend Harvard Law School along with his best friend Gordon. Unfortunately, his father's neurotic psychiatrist talks his patient into focusing on his own happiness instead of spending money on his son. Faced with the prospect of having to pay for law school by himself, Mark decides to apply for a scholarship, but the only suitable one is for African Americans only. He decides to cheat by using tanning pills in a larger dose than prescribed to appear as an African American. Watson then sets out for Harvard, naïvely believing that black people have no problems at all in American society.
However, once immersed in a black student's life, Mark finds out prejudice and racism truly exists. He meets a young African American student named Sarah Walker, whom he at first only flirts with; gradually, however, he genuinely falls in love with her. In passing, she mentions that he received the scholarship she was in the running for at the last minute. Due to this, she not only has to handle her classes but work as a waitress to support herself and her young son George.
Slowly, Mark begins to regret his decision as he continues to experience problems because of his skin tone. He gets arrested by a cop who assumes that he is a thief because he is driving an expensive car, is put on the receiving end of many hurtful racial stereotypes by white people and finds himself subjected to sexual harassment by his landlord's daughter, Whitney, who is eager to explore what she perceives to be the "exotic" thrill of sleeping with a black man.
After a chaotic day in which Sarah, his parents (who are not aware of his double life), and Whitney all make surprise visits at the same time, Mark drops the charade and publicly reveals himself to be white. He is surprised to find that many are willing to forgive him for the charade after considering his reasons for doing so, but Sarah is furious. Mark has a private conversation with his professor. He has learned more than he bargained for, admitting that he still doesn't know what it is like to be black because he could have changed back to being white at any time.
Because Mark must forfeit his scholarship, his father agrees to loan him the money for school, but with exorbitant interest. He goes to Sarah and begs for another chance, to which she agrees after Mark stands up for her and George when two male students tell a racist joke in front of them.
Don't Worry Darling is a 2022 American psychological thriller film directed by Olivia Wilde from a screenplay by Katie Silberman, based on a spec script by Carey Van Dyke, Shane Van Dyke, and Silberman. The film stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll, and Chris Pine. The film follows a housewife (Pugh) living in an idyllic company town who begins to suspect a sinister secret being kept from its residents by the man who runs it (Pine).
PLOT
Alice and Jack Chambers are a married couple who live in Victory, California, an idealistic desert company town in the late 1950s/early 1960s. Every day, the men leave for work at Victory Headquarters in the surrounding desert, in which their wives are discouraged from entering or even asking about their husbands' work. The women enjoy luxuries and lounging while caring for their homes during the men’s absence.
Alice spends her days with other wives, including her best friend Bunny. One resident, Margaret, has become an outcast after experiencing a mental breakdown and taking her son into the desert, resulting in his apparent death, although she claims Victory took him from her as punishment for breaking the rules. At a party hosted by Victory's enigmatic founder, Frank, Alice witnesses Margaret's husband attempt to give her medication after an outburst. Alice and Jack then have sex in Frank's bedroom, but she notices Frank secretly watching.
Riding the trolley across town, Alice sees a plane crash in the desert and rushes to help. She stumbles onto Headquarters in the desert and touches one of its mirror-like windows, experiencing surreal hallucinations about another life before waking up at home that night. In the following days, she experiences increasingly strange occurrences and receives a phone call from Margaret, who claims to have seen the same things. After brushing off Margaret, Alice witnesses her slit her own throat and fall from her roof. Before she can reach Margaret's body, Alice is dragged away by men in red jumpsuits who work for Frank and experiences strange visions.
Jack dismisses Alice's claims and says Margaret is simply recovering from a household accident, corroborated by the town physician, Dr. Collins, who makes a house-call at their residence. He prescribes medication for Alice, which Jack declines, and she steals Margaret's heavily redacted medical file from his briefcase. Alice becomes increasingly paranoid, and during a company celebration where Frank gives Jack a promotion, she breaks down in the bathroom. Comforted by her friend Bunny, Alice attempts to explain her suspicions, but Bunny reacts angrily, accusing Alice of jeopardizing their livelihood in Victory.
Alice and Jack invite their neighbors to dinner, with Frank and his wife, Shelley, as special guests. In private, Frank confirms Alice's suspicions and taunts her by saying he hopes she continues to challenge him. Spurred by his confession, she attempts to expose him over dinner, but Frank makes her appear delusional to the other guests, causing Jack grief over her deteriorating mental state. In the aftermath, Alice begs Jack to leave Victory, to which he feigns agreement, but he instead has her taken away by Frank's men. Dr. Collins forces Alice to undergo electroshock therapy, during which she sees visions of herself in the 21st century, struggling to make ends meet as a surgeon named Alice Warren and living with the unemployed, lazy, and disgruntled Jack.
After her treatment, Alice is welcomed home and resumes her normal life, but comes to realize the visions are her real memories. Realizing he can no longer conceal the truth, Jack finally admits it: Victory is a simulated world created by Frank, where Jack and the other men lead their version of perfect lives; the women they have forced into the mid-20th century simulation are unaware that their lives, children and Victory itself do not exist. When the men leave for work each day, they are in reality logging out of the simulation for real jobs and to maintain their drugged wives, whose minds stay in the simulation. Jack argues that Alice was miserable in the real world while Victory means they can both finally be happy, but she is infuriated for him putting her in the simulation without her consent. Jack begs her to stay, forcefully holding on to Alice, prompting her to fatally smash a rocks glass over his head, causing his death in both the simulation and reality.
Frank is immediately alerted to Jack's death, while Bunny finds Alice and explains that she has always known Victory was a simulation, but chose to stay to be with her children, who died in real life. She tells Alice that her real body will be killed by Frank's minions, so she must get to Headquarters – the exit portal from the simulation. Alice silently confronts the neighborhood, leading the other wives to become aware, while the husbands panic. Fleeing in Jack's car, Alice is chased by Dr. Collins and Frank's men, maneuvering them into fatally crashing into each other. Meanwhile, Shelley fatally stabs Frank to take control of Victory. Arriving at Headquarters, Alice has a final simulation vision of Jack, then puts her hands on Headquarters just as Frank's men reach her. The screen cuts to black, and Alice gasps for air.
