Ayo Edebiri (best known for “The Bear”) plays a writer who is invited to a remote compound to meet a legendary pop star, who’s been out of sight for 30 years (John Malkovich). Almost immediately, she starts to find things weird, but it takes a tedious while before we see what might develop. This concept has been done before, most recently in last year’s “Blink Twice” (my review). It wasn’t gratifying then and isn’t now. Edebiri holds the center effectively, but Malkovich’s endless artsy droning soon becomes tedious (and not in a satirically amusing way). Mark Anthony Green is a first-time director and former editor for GQ. This first attempt is scattered and confusing. It didn’t help that the script is full of foreboding that only delivers a dumb ending. One saving grace is the music by legendary Nile Rogers, who co-wrote with The-Dream. This attempt to be a shocking thriller starts out with promise, but falters pretty quickly and continues its downward spiral to a useless finish (more Malkovich speeches). 
(1.5 / 5)
