Homewrecker review – suburban hostage caper is a cheerier Misery

It’s a pity this Canadian comedy-horror is too crudely put together to comfortably straddle its two genres, because it contains some zesty bursts of invention and bright performances from its leads.

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Precious Chong, who co-writes with director Zach Gayne and co-star Alex Essoe, takes one for the team with her unlikable role: belligerently perky fortysomething singleton Linda, who imposes herself on interior designer Michelle (Essoe) while in a coffee shop. Somehow, Linda’s invasive questions about Michelle’s baby-making plans doesn’t stop the latter agreeing to remodel Linda’s house – and heading straight round for a look-see.

What starts as a teeth-grating test in how Michelle can politely extricate herself (Linda insists on pre-midday cocktails), turns into a suburban hostage-taking. Chong – with her sociopathic chat, hairpin mood-swerves and neediness – is like a Lycra-clad version of Misery’s Annie Wilkes. But this suspense-free film is not deft enough to turn the dial back and forth, as Rob Reiner’s film did, between scary, absurd and blackly comic. Instead, it plays the abduction 100% bubbly, even during bouts of awkwardly staged violence.

If this hobbles the film, Homewrecker is at least adept at devising new torments for Michelle, including one scene in which Linda forces her to play throwback 80s boardgame Party Hunks. This encapsulation of her time-capsuled emotional life leads to reflections on honesty in relationships and life, and there is something endearing about how doggedly Homewreckers pursues this theme. But fundamentally, it never finds a convincing pitch. A tone-deaf musical score that drenches everything – pained comedy, catty exchanges, brawling – in guitar reverb, really doesn’t help.

• Homewrecker is released online on 24 May.