X
In Theaters Now
- 2024
- R
- Lionsgate Films
- 1 h 33 m
- 2024
- R
- Lionsgate Films
- 1 h 33 m
Summary A talented young writer (Jenna Ortega) embarks on a creative odyssey when her teacher (Martin Freeman) assigns a project that entangles them both in an increasingly complex web. As lines blur and their lives intertwine, professor and protégé must confront their darkest selves while straining to preserve their individual sense of purpose ...
Directed By: Jade Halley Bartlett
Written By: Jade Halley Bartlett
In Theaters Now
- 2024
- R
- Lionsgate Films
- 1 h 33 m
- 2024
- R
- Lionsgate Films
- 1 h 33 m
Miller's Girl
41
4.9
Where to Watch
Summary A talented young writer (Jenna Ortega) embarks on a creative odyssey when her teacher (Martin Freeman) assigns a project that entangles them both in an increasingly complex web. As lines blur and their lives intertwine, professor and protégé must confront their darkest selves while straining to preserve their individual sense of purpose ...
Directed By: Jade Halley Bartlett
Written By: Jade Halley Bartlett
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
41
21% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
36% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
43% Negative
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
41
21% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
36% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
43% Negative
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
Miller’s Girl is a stunning debut from Bartlett. The plot is winding and intriguing, with an absolute gut punch of an ending.
There is no hero or villain, only a murky undercurrent questioning whether having a muse is inherently predatory or not. And that story is worth writing.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 34 User Ratings
4.9
41% Positive
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
21% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
38% Negative
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 34 User Ratings
4.9
41% Positive
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
21% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
38% Negative
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
Bartlett writes a complex story about how people or not simply heroes or villains, but live somewhere in the murky middle. The movie is stunningly beautiful, the sets and landscape are it's own character. Jenna is simply outstanding in this role. It will have you talking for days!
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Miller’s Girl was an intense story of where two people with common interests, and starving for attention, cross the line, ending with devastating consequences. The movie is beautifully shot, with very interesting, complex characters that keep you in a dilemma of trying to decide if they are good or bad. I very easily could see how this could happen in real life. I totally loved it and would highly recommend going to see it.
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The putatively provocative and wannabe-controversial erotic thriller “Miller’s Girl” is a sordid little tale that isn’t nearly as clever and literary as it tries to be, nor is it as deliberately campy as 20th century entries in the genre such as “Wild Things” or even “Poison Ivy.”
The movie strikes that wild, so-bad-it’s-entertaining chord vigorously. I can’t recommend Miller’s Girl but I also can’t recommend it enough.
What a salacious and silly miscalculation Miller’s Girl turns out to be.
A work of glaring artifice, Miller’s Girl, written and directed by Jade Halley Bartlett, is being touted as a psychological thriller, but it’s too vapid and silly to do much besides titillate.
Jenna Ortega’s stark rise as Gen Z’s goth-glam princess takes a pointless, awkward turn in “Miller’s Girl,” a new romantic horror movie about cerebral people that’s simply tiresome.
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
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IN A NUTSHELL:
As an author of 31 books, I’m always intrigued by movies about writers. I’m fascinated by how they’re portrayed in film, as well as how the characters receive inspiration. By the way, you can find almost all of them on Amazon. (shameless plug)
The story is about a young schoolgirl who becomes entangled in a creative writing assignment with her teacher.
Seth Rogen is one of the producers of this project. Jade Halley Bartlett is both the director and the writer of this dramedy.
THINGS I LIKED:
After the huge success of “Wednesday”, everyone now knows who Jenna Ortega is and the magic she can offer a script. Her character is quirky, smart, and naughty in both projects. She’s fantastic in this, as was expected.
I’ve been a fan of Martin Freeman for decades. His performances never disappoint.
Other cast members who stood out to me were Dagmara Dominczyk, Bashir Salahuddin, and Gideon Adlon.
The color palette of every scene has an “old” hue over it, making it look and feel like all of the classic literature in leatherbound covers belongs perfectly in that setting.
In one scene, we see Martin Freeman’s character reading Stephen King’s book “On Writing”, the bible for all writers. What makes a good writer? That’s one of the big questions the movie asks. Is it experience? The craft of playing with words and ideas? The ability to internalize feelings and share them in a new way that challenges the reader to consider new ideas.
There are two Miller’s in the story: the writing teacher and Henry Miller, the controversial author that Jenna Ortega’s character tries to copy in her own writing.
The movie is extremely dialogue-heavy, so ensure you can hear every delicious word. By the way, you’ll hear the word “vituperation” several times in the movie. It means “bitter and abusive language.” Now, you can feel like a smarty-pants!
I’m always surprised when a male character in a film rejects a woman’s sexual advances since Hollywood seems to love to celebrate infidelity and think it’s so romantic.
Some of the camera shots are really great.
Another question the film raises is that of culpability. Who do YOU think was at fault here?
The film definitely shows how sex pervades society so much that young girls grow up too quickly, thinking they need to look and behave like grown women.
THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:
The narration seemed way too advanced for the young teen’s years or experience.
Any man who needs validation from a high school girl is a fool and, even worse, not a grown man.
Inappropriate kisses.
I didn’t understand Mrs. Miller’s character at all. Either she was glued to her laptop or falling all over her husband’s friend in a negligee, usually drunk.
Some viewers may not like that there is some ambiguity in the ending.
TIPS FOR PARENTS:
Written and spoken profanity, including F-bombs
Several people smoke, including a teenage girl.
Teens and adults drink alcohol
A man pleasures himself while reading erotic literature. (We see movements and know what’s happening.)
Teenage girls make out
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A provocative student slyly seducing a teacher has been done before and this take offers nothing new. Martin Freeman plays the high school English instructor who's enamored by a smart student (Jenna Ortega). Thus begins a completely predictable path to "the encounter" and the subsequent fallout. Fortunately, first time writer/director Jade Halley Bartlett had the luck to cast this skilled duo. They capture the attraction and confusion with compelling depth. As his faculty buddy, Bashir Salahuddin adds a much needed lighter touch, while Dagmara Dominczyk, as the wife, adds a sometimes intense vibe. Sadly, the script is stuffed with overwritten literary pretentions that only add tedium. Every inevitable moment is obvious, so there's really nothing (other than the performances to recommend this failed drama.
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It's a movie about a teacher student relationship, how interesting! They could've done something interesting with it but they didn't! The movie tries to be a comedy, but it's not funny. It tries to be an erotic thriller, but it's not erotic or thrilling! Miller's Girl fails at everything it tries to accomplish!
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Production Company
Lionsgate Films,
Good Universe,
Point Grey Pictures
Release Date Jan 26, 2024
Duration 1 h 33 m
Rating R
Tagline Write what you want.
