In modern cinema, it can appear as if the movie industry has run out of ideas and bases its stories on already established ones; ranging from books, to even the real-life stories of individuals and events. To be able to not only preserve these works and lives in a respectful manner, but to also portray them as entertaining can be a difficult task. Colleen Hoover, writer of Verity (2018) could not be more familiar with this concept. As of now, she has had four of her bestsellers become feature-length films, all receiving major commercial success. Known for writing about romantic-relationship stories, Hoover’s choice to tackle darker themes in a thriller began with this one. Verity (2026) follows novelist Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), as she is hired by Jeremy Crawford (Josh Hartnett) to ghostwrite for his wife, Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway). Verity is a bestselling author of seductive thrillers, most known for her Noble Virtues series. After an accident, she is unable to continue writing, leading to Lowen being given the opportunity to proceed with her series. Despite the rather simple plot, it delves into the psychological development of Lowen, as she begins to unravel the manipulative and twisted aspects of not only Verity, but her children, her husband, and even of her own self.

Although the twists and turns are interesting at a glance, when presented within the structured narrative, they feel one-note at best. The small cast should allow the characters to feel developed and fleshed out within the runtime, but that is just not the case. In nearly all instances, they feel as if they are attempting to be complex through shock, yet lack the complexities necessary for convincing dialogue and motivations. After every instance of surprise, I was left scratching my head rather than being invested in the consequences of the moments themselves. Furthermore, the moments of “shock” are riddled with lackluster attempts at jump scares and random pivots that feel unnatural to the character progression. In concept, the thrilling parts should be just that, but the implementation of manipulation and dishonesty between all the relationships presented do not incentivize the viewer to be attached, nor care about these characters. This practically extracts the thrilling nature from it all, leaving me to feel emotionally disconnected from the story itself.

Coinciding with the lack of intricacy of the characters, the performances do not enhance the experience in a notable way. The main three of the cast have a lot going for them, especially Academy Award-winning actress Anne Hathaway, but even her performance has left me wanting more. Most of her character is shown through flashbacks, such as her introduction to her lover Jeremy, and her experience as a mother and writer. However, these flashbacks feel empty, presenting the past as seemingly important characteristics rather than showing development among the people themselves. Besides Hathaway, Dakota Johnson’s performance is, in many cases, the definition of hollow; the writing even excuses her lack of facial expressions in certain dialogue, only adding to how inexpressive and cavernous Lowen feels as a character. This is all despite the attempts at displaying her motivations and complexity ad nauseam. Verity does the bare minimum at trying to instill relatability or concern regarding the people it follows. A great example of this is showcased through Lowen’s agent, Corey (Ismael Cruz Cordova). The scenes in which he is present, mostly depicted during phone calls between Lowen and himself, attempt to provide depth to relationships for no reason that feels relevant. In total, this movie wants to be incredibly profound to its own detriment. There is a façade of emotional and psychological intrigue that is either turned into overwhelming senselessness in its romance or not explored nearly enough due to the boring portrayals and performances.

Despite the negatives, I believe this film will and should be well liked by fans of the book it is based on. The romance, regardless of being stretched-thin, is abundant. The choice to heavily lean-in on the psycho-erotic nature of the story is exactly what fans of the author and her works should enjoy when translated into cinema. My criticisms are not attacking the genre nor its fans, but instead focusing on how its attempts to tackle these elements fall flat for the average viewer. Perhaps there is an argument to be made that I am not the target demographic, but even with that in mind, the overwhelming sense of insipidity I was left with cannot be understated. Verity successfully consolidates its goals into main themes that are present throughout, but it is in the execution of these themes that leaves not only more to be desired, but simply improvement to every facet as desired necessities. This is not a case of doing too much, or doing too little, but rather the film itself feels half-baked. In other words, Verity scores when it comes to its big moments, but that is only on the surface. Its inability to sew a properly provoking narrative creates a feeling of futility for its attempts at meaningful developments. These moments of ambition are quickly drowned out by the overwhelming forgettability of Verity and the obvious lack of significance within the story and its key elements.