Halina Reijn’s breakout with A24’s Bodies Bodies Bodies was apparently enough for her follow-up project, Babygirl, to score an A-list leading lady in Nicole Kidman. Although Babygirl features some incredible work from Kidman, Reijn’s erotic thriller doesn’t have the juice to be a memorable entry in its genre.
Babygirl Review
In the film, Kidman plays a powerful CEO who puts her personal and professional lives in danger when she begins an affair with an intern who is much younger than her. This is a story we have seen told dozens of times before, but with a name behind the camera like Bodies Bodies Bodies filmmaker Halina Reijn, one hopes that we’re in for a stylish, salacious riff on this familiar territory.
Unfortunately, while Babygirl has plenty of moments with razor-sharp dialogue, the tissue that connects them is not particularly compelling. You’ll have an absolutely delicious bedroom scene, but Reijn doesn’t follow through with the consequences that would have given this film the stakes it needed to succeed as an erotic thriller. Although we know that the protagonist has her business and her entire life to lose, Reijn leaves the audience to fill in those gaps, and as a result, the movie never feels urgent.
It’s a shame because Babygirl has the potential to explore themes of abuse of power in the workplace and (to a lesser extent) toxic masculinity, but these themes are left underdeveloped. Instead, men will watch the movie thinking, “Man, I wish I were Harris Dickinson right now,” and women will come away from the movie thinking, “I wish I were Nicole Kidman.” The film is so obsessed with how hot and powerful its characters (and the actors that perform them) are that it feels incredibly shallow.
There is also the issue of the character’s motivations feeling somewhat underdeveloped. Perhaps it’s the point that we can’t tell whether the characters are driven by sexual lust or a lust for power, but we aren’t given much reason to root for them. Dickinson’s character has a near-literal “Save the Cat” moment early in the movie, where he charms Kidman’s CEO with his dog-whispering skills. Kidman, on the other hand, simply feels like she’s setting a good life ablaze.
In his supporting role as the alluring intern, Harris Dickinson leaves a lot to be desired — literally and metaphorically. Part of this goes back to how the characters are written, but Dickinson plays him in a way that lacks nuance. The turn jumps between chauvinistic and subdued, and while this might be a commentary on the dark streak running through “normal” men, it’s just not an interesting performance to watch. Antonio Banderas gives a much more interesting turn as the cuckolded husband, with a few scenes where he completely demands the viewer’s attention with his sadness.
However, the main reason to see Babygirl is Nicole Kidman’s performance in the lead role, which is predictably incredible. While Dickinson’s indecisiveness works against his role, Kidman’s works in her favor. We see her range, moving from commanding to submissive — sometimes switching from one scene to the next. She balances allure and intimidation in a way that feels so natural one could almost imagine this role being written specifically for her.
Reijn also remains one of the hippest directors working today from an aesthetic sense. The film’s steamiest scenes are shot in a way that’s very erotic without feeling overly graphic or exploitative. The synthy score by Cristobal Tapia de Veer (Smile) is also a highlight, giving the movie a ton of energy even when its script is at its most lacking.
Is Babygirl worth watching?
Ultimately, Babygirl is a massive disappointment. Although it has a stellar performance by Nicole Kidman, a solid supporting turn by Antonio Banderas, and plenty of style, that’s not enough to justify watching its dull, nearly two-hour runtime. It has its moments, but those only tease the viewers about what they could have had.
Babygirl is playing at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, which runs September 5-14.
Babygirl TIFF Review — Nicole Kidman Is Excellent in Uninspired Erotic Thriller
Nicole Kidman’s performance in Babygirl is noteworthy, and there are several strong scenes, but these moments do not come together into a satisfying whole in Halina Reijn’s follow-up to Bodies Bodies Bodies.
