Becky, directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion, is going to garner either lots of praise or derision, based on the viewer’s expectations. If you go into Becky thinking you are getting a heady, slow-burn, A24-style art-house horror flick, you will most-likely be disappointed. Becky is lean, mean, gory fun.
Becky (Lulu Wilson) is your average, sullen 13 year-old girl. She is still coping with the recent death of her mother and resentful that her father, Jeff, in a surprisingly snark-free turn by Joel McHale, is beginning a new relationship. The potential stepmom, Kayla (Amanda Brugel) and potential stepbrother, Ty (Isaiah Rockcliffe) join them at a lakeside cabin for some bonding time. That is about all of the emotional depth you’re going to get from this movie. But, let’s face it, you came to watch Becky kick Nazi ass, right?
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Photo courtesy of Keri Anderson.
Enter into this idyllic setting a group of escaped Aryan Brotherhood convicts, led by Dominick (Kevin James). James is surprisingly effective at creating both understated menace and coiled violence. From the moment Dominick and his crew enter the scene, it’s pretty much a cat-and-mouse game between the Nazis and Becky.
Much has been made about this being a sort of R-rated Home Alone, and the comparisons are obvious. But to really capture the tone and fun to be had here, I think it might be more informative to think of movies like The Evil Dead and Friday the 13th. Instead of Ash, we get Becky. Instead of demon-possessed Deadites, we get neo-Nazis. And instead of cartoonish, booby-trap violence, we get Friday the 13th level practical gore effects. Ever wonder what kind of damage a broken ruler can do? Becky will show you.
If the viewer can go into Becky knowing the grindhouse aesthetic it brings, he or she can find a lot of fun, yes fun, and even some bloody humor here. Trigger alert, animals and children are in-peril throughout Becky, so be warned. I think the average viewer might get 3 out of 5 stars, but for me, this is a solid 4 star movie.
