Isabelle Huppert is one of those great French actresses who just never made a name for herself in the United States outside of the arts circle. The talented thespian has been wowing people for almost 50 years now, playing a diverse range of roles, but she clearly wants some of that sweet studio money. Or maybe she just wanted to play a complete and utter psychopath. Greta gives Huppers 99 minutes to go crazy, showing off how sinister she can be for YOU America. So you better like her, or else… *evil stare*
Greta is that same old story. Sweet, burdened Francis McCullen (Chloe Grace Moretz) has moved into an amazing downtown New York City apartment with her best friend Erica (Maika Monroe). Still hurt from a past trauma, Francis returns a lost purse to Greta (Huppert), a lonely older woman. Francis bonds with this older woman, and begins to open up…until it becomes clear that Greta has manipulated this entire friendship because, you know, she’s CRAZY.
The writers of this movie try as hard as they can to ground this story before it goes completely off the rails. They do this in a really clever way: by examining how easy it is to harass someone with the current laws. It’s quite stunning to see what Greta can get away with during that 2 month window to obtain a restraining order. She can stand outside Francis’s place of work and just stare at her. ALL NIGHT. Because it is a public space and there’s no physical threat. Poor Francis (and even Erica) can get followed, obsessively texted/phoned, show up at their home (as long as they don’t get in) until that restraining order kicks in. Greta does make you wonder how many times some poor helpless person has sought police aid, but received none because of the current law makeup of a government.
These grounded conversations are necessary because the script and especially the third act are hilariously nutty. The dialogue feels like it was written by Greta herself at times, mimicing a real conversation without ever feeling natural between any of the 3 leads. This is especially disconcerting for Erica and Francis, as we need to believe Erica would care enough for her to go looking for her. After about an hour of platituding and attempts to go butt washing (no really), the story forgets that Greta has human qualities and Huppert starts going crazy all over the place. Like any great killer in a movie, she’s got all the tricks and she uses them to lunatic perfection. I was especially a fan of her insisting she was Francis’s new mother, repeatedly. The ending is so hilariously unrealistic that I was laughing through the reveal too much to be satisfied, but Huppert is bonkers enough to make Greta at least humorously forgettable.
I wouldn’t say I was upset I saw Greta, but I wasn’t also very excited watching it either. Another loss for the Americanization of Huppert, who will have to watch this movie at 8 PM on HBO, where it will inevitably end up. I guess she’ll have to go back to making amazing film that will end up standing the test of time in cinematic history.