Netflix’s “Pieces of Her” Is A Disappointing Thriller With A Mystery That Leaves Much To Be Desired [REVIEW]

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE NOT YET SEEN PIECES OF HER, THIS IS A NON-SPOILER REVIEW.

When I first heard that Toni Collette was starring in a new Netflix thriller series, I couldn’t have been more excited!  The incredibly talented actress is one of my favorite performers working today and this is one of my favorite genres.  So, what could go wrong?  Even though I think this is a serviceable enough thriller and it kept me interested enough while watching, I couldn’t help, but feel horribly disappointed in this series by the end.  Pieces of Her had all of the makings of a surefire hit for Netflix… and I’m confident that audiences will definitely be checking it out. But, if they will actually stay till the end… is a whole different story.

HOW IS TONI COLLETTE IN THE CO-LEAD PERFORMANCE?

Let’s start off with the positives.  Toni Collette.  For me, she is the main draw here and she never ceases to provide a tour-de-force performance… and with Pieces of Her, she continues her streak.  Her character of Laura Oliver is not the most likable, as she is constantly pushing her daughter away and her behavior is erratic… but, Collette takes the part and does everything she can with it.  The series suffers whenever the veteran actress is not on screen because she brings such dynamic energy to the forefront.

IS THERE ENOUGH TWISTS AND TURNS TO KEEP WATCHING?

I also was surprised by many of the twists and turns that this show takes.  I was honestly expecting this to be more of a schlocky, binge-worthy, mystery ala 2021’s Clickbait, but it does have far more up its sleeve than that series.  There’s political greed, corporate corruption, and radical activism that runs through Pieces of Her’s veins, which makes it a far more timely and complex piece, than at first glance.  One of the biggest accomplishments of the show, is that it kept me watching because I was curious to see how all of these puzzle pieces were going to fit together.  Unfortunately, it feels as if the show thinks that it has far more to say, than it actually does.  And once the puzzle pieces did come together, I was left with an overwhelming sensation of… what was the actual purpose of it all?

WHY IS PIECES OF HER SO… COMPLICATED?

And that’s where my deepest frustrations with the show lie.  There are so many working parts to this mystery (heavy exposition, detailed character backstories, and one too many double-cross than you can count), that all lead to a brick wall. Most of the plot points we hit seem to be taking place as a matter of convenience or to throw in a curveball, rather than actually giving the story any weight.  It all feels overly complicated than it actually needs to be, because the destination that all of it leads to, is pretty damn simple and straightforward.  

HOW IS BELLA HEATHCOTE’S CHARACTER IN THE SERIES?

And despite her best efforts, Bella Heathcote’s Andy, our lead heroine opposite Toni Collette’s, is pretty insufferable.  There was not a second I connected to her character or to her plight.  She is constantly making idiotic decisions and putting other people’s lives in peril because of her mistakes.  She reminded me of Dave Bautista’s daughter in Army of the Dead… basically causing more harm than good because of her terrible judgment.  It would have been nice if just as much thought had been put into Andy’s backstory, as was put into her mother’s character.  I never felt like I knew who she was… and so in the end, I never ended up caring about her.  And if you don’t care about the lead character, it’s impossible to fully invest yourself into the story surrounding them.

It might sound like I hated this series, which I definitely did not.  It really all stems from a place of disappointment.  As the last episode finished, I was left with an empty sort-of feeling.  Because what I had just spent the last eight hours watching was neither great, nor awful.  It just existed in this in-between area… of just being decent, at best.  And Pieces of Her could have been so much better than that.  

Pieces of Her will be Streaming on Netflix Friday, March 4th, 2022.

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