Promising Young Woman is a film that is so good it makes me angry because I can hear the “not all men” “but I am a nice guy” blah blah blah now. But first, let me backtrack a bit and give you a mini rundown.

Promising Young Woman is the feature directorial debut of Killing Eve show-runner Emerald Fennell that tells the story of Cassie (Carey Mulligan) whose best friend is raped in Med School. Her friend came forward, and in that all too well-known tale, isn’t believed and ends up killing herself. Cassie ends up quitting school, spiraling into her own depression and decides to take revenge by living a double life teaching self-proclaimed “nice guys” (that we all know and love) an eye-opening lesson in who they truly are.

Classic “Nice” Guys Round Out The Cast

The film not only challenges rape culture. It destroys it in the best way possible by taking on the idea of the promising young man. The Nice Guy. The guy who “couldn’t possibly do this”. The clean-cut guy who is always given the benefit of the doubt because “victims lie”. The guy who shouldn’t have his life ruined because of one bad decision.

Promising Young Woman does an amazing job pushing the “nice guy” trope visually by casting all the nice guys we’ve all come to know and love in Hollywood to play the scumbags pretending to be who they’re not. They’re rounded out by Adam Brody (The OC), Bo Burnham (check out his comedy specials), Christopher “McLovin” Mintz-Plasse (Superbad), Max Greenfield (New Girl), and Chris Lowell (GLOW). Personally, I find this genius!

“[My character] is wooing her and being so charming in his head. I think he’s convinced himself that he’s a hero,” The O.C.’s Adam Brody tells Bustle. “[Then you realize] he’s doing this with a comatose woman. He’s pretty much [charming] himself in a mirror with a corpse.”

Interview with Bustle

“Nice” Women Get Taken To The Shredder Also

Promising Young Woman doesn’t only take on the nice guy, but also the complacent woman. Taking on that role is Allison Brie (Community and GLOW) as Cassie’s former classmate and friend. A friend who turned her back on the girls even though she knew it was the truth. There is no forgiveness from Cassie and no place for those who do the mental gymnastics needed in order to excuse their own behavior. In a fantastic move, Fennel holds a mirror up to others’ selfishness in these moments of life where “it doesn’t matter until it affects me” in a profound and effective way.

If you couldn’t tell already, I absolutely LOVED this movie. The script is smart and funny when it needs to be. The acting is superb. Finally, the story is original and incredibly effective. It gets the point Fennel is trying to make across without beating you over the head with it. However, the ending (NO SPOILERS HERE) may leave some disappointed, but I felt it was the perfect ending for Cassie’s story.

Promising Young Woman is currently playing in AMC Theaters only and will hopefully hit our streaming devices in early January.