by Samuel Nichols, Contributing Writer
When I was a junior in high school, Breaking Bad finished it’s run on TV. I had not watched it at all, other than one scene I caught with my brother, one which just so happened to be the garage face-off between Hank and Walt. But that was enough to grab my interest. From October 2013 to February 2014, I spent my free waking moments watching the show. I was a busy kid too. Varsity basketball, full school schedule, musical theater, and a part-time job. But I was obsessed with BrBa. I watched it at the expense of my young body’s sleep needs. Also it affected my school performance, particularly in Spanish class. I was consistently pulling a C+ or B- average there. But when I finished the show, my grades shot up to an A. All I needed was to finish watching a TV show. My obsession almost ruined me. Skincare tells a similar story.
Hope (Elizabeth Banks) is a local skincare legend in Los Angeles, circa 2014. (HEY! That’s the same period of time of when I binging Breaking Bad. I didn’t even plan that!) She has clients galore and movie stars on her appointment list, managed by her incredible assistant, Marine (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez). She has some financial woes, but who doesn’t? Everything gets worse when new face on the block, Angel (Luis Gerardo Méndez), cuts into her business. Hope is convinced that he might even be sabotaging her personal life, too. She starts working with life coach, Jordan (Lewis Pullman), to help her figure out next steps to be more successful. But as her obsession with her business and beating Angel increases, her life spirals further and further down.
First and foremost, I owe Banks an apology. I was not fully familiar with her game. You see, she made that 2019 Charlie’s Angels reboot with Kristen Stewart and Naomi Scott, and it didn’t make a lot of money. There were a lot of misconstrued comments that she alleged that her movie wasn’t a success because of men or something like that. She said nothing of the sort, but it was still enough to damage her career. And honestly, it soured her in my mind. But since then, I’ve seen all the Pitch Perfect movies, rewatched the Hunger Games franchise at least once, seen her 2023 movie, Call Jane, and have now seen Skincare. Banks has more range and creative skill than I gave her credit for. Her performance in Skincare is phenomenal. I don’t think she’ll be on any Oscar shortlists at the end of the year just because it isn’t showy enough. But she gives a nuanced and relatable performance. Given that she’s playing an obsessive skincare entrepreneur that’s a harder task than one would think. So props to her. My deepest apologies. And please keep making movies, Ms. Banks.
Banks’ energy is matched by Pullman. That’s right, the son of President Whitmore has the chops. Jordan is a completely unhinged individual — it feels like AI came up with the worst possible combination between a mansplaining podcaster and a hype man who only has trash ideas. It is goofy, hilarious, and a little unsettling to watch. Pullman has the goods. Maybe even better than his daddy.
With all the mystery, stalking, and harassment in the air, the movie easily falls into a noir feel. There’s tense music and the eerie use of a jukebox soundtrack that builds on the creepy feeling. But nothing can be too serious when the movie is essentially about competing snake oil salesman. There’s a nice mix of dark humor in there, too, so you’ll find yourself both laughing and at the edge of your seat.
Rating: Liked It
Skincare is currently playing in theaters
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