DROP (in theatres)

Two exceedingly likable actors, Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar star in “Drop” an innovative scenario targeting the tech savvy viewer; those lacking in techie acuity will still unquestionably relish the ride. “Violet” (Fahy) has accepted an electronic date, her first since the death of her husband; leaving her five-year-old son “Toby” (Jacob Robinson) with her sister “Jen” (Violett Beane); she “cleans up” with style and panache and is a show-stopper as she enters the mile-high, posh restaurant in downtown Chicago (Chicagoans know, no way; the film was made in Ireland); nervous jitters accompanies her to the bar (her date “Henry” (Sklenar) unfashionably late) where she encounters pianist, caddish “Phil” (Ed Weeks) and nerdy “Richard” (Reed Diamond); unaware of her beauty, and an excessively nice person, ingratiatingly kind to all including the bartender “Cara” (Gabrielle Ryan). Concerned about her son, perpetually checking her phone; Henry appears and as they are escorted to their table, havoc ensues as she sees a masked stranger in her home. She is instructed to hide her emotions; torn between her attraction to the clueless Henry and the safety of Toby, she obeys the demands of a maniacal monster within the restaurant, scripting the behavior of his evil counterpart in her home. The phone, a supposed benign tool, is the determining “actor” in “Drop”.

Director Christopher Landon along with writers Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach have fabricated a dizzying, well-constructed thriller, cementing one’s attention firmer and firmer as the plot congeals; strategically, flawlessly directed, Violet keeps her composure and initiative as the demands become litigiously lethal. While Henry, with inconceivable aplomb, desperately wants the connection to morph into solid companionship. The twirling conclusion, action manifested, destroying perfectly orchestrated ambiguity, grippingly captivating, compellingly gratifying.

FOUR STARS!!!!

Peneflix