Becky (2020 film)

Becky is a 2020 American action thriller film[4][5] directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion, from a screenplay by Nick Morris, Lane Skye and Ruckus Skye. The film stars Lulu Wilson, Kevin James and Joel McHale.

Becky
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
  • Jonathan Milott
  • Cary Murnion
Produced by
Written by
  • Nick Morris
  • Lane Skye
  • Ruckus Skye
Starring
Music byNima Fakhrara
CinematographyGreta Zozula
Edited byAlan Canant
Production
company
  • YP
  • Boulderlight Pictures
  • BondIt Media Capital
  • Buffalo 8
Distributed by
Release date
  • June 5, 2020 (2020-06-05) (United States)
Running time
100 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.1 million[2][3]

Becky was scheduled to have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2020, but the festival was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was released on video-on-demand, digital platforms and in select drive-in theaters on June 5, 2020, by Quiver Distribution and Redbox Entertainment. The film received mixed reviews from critics, though many praised Wilson's performance.

Plot

Thirteen-year-old Becky Hooper is being questioned regarding an event that recently took place at her family's house. She gives vague answers and does not seem to remember what they are discussing.

Two weeks earlier, Becky was a bullied high school student whose mother passed away a year ago. She has a strained relationship with her father Jeff, who attempts to reconnect with her with a trip to their lakefront home. Meanwhile, prisoner Dominick, a Neo-Nazi, and his men Apex, Cole, and Hammond are riding in a transport van. Dominick has an inmate killed to get the guards to pull over, using the opportunity to kill them and pose as policemen. They stop a man and his two children on the street, kill them, and take their car.

Jeff's girlfriend Kayla and her young son Ty arrive at the house, upsetting Becky. Jeff announces that he and Kayla are engaged. Hurt, saying her mother would have hated them, Becky runs out of the house, followed by one of her dogs, Diego. At her small fort in the woods, she retrieves a large and unusual key from inside a tin box. The bow of the large key is formed in the shape of the valknut symbol. Dominick and his men show up at the house, take everyone hostage, and demand the key -- Dominick shows them that he has the symbol tattooed on his hand. Kayla and Ty try to escape but are caught by Apex, who tries to help them while Cole kills Dora, one of the family's dogs. Jeff lies about Becky's presence to protect her, but Dominick catches on and shoots Kayla in the leg to get the truth out of them.

Becky, still in the woods, becomes aware of the intruders' presence and talks over a walkie-talkie, lying about calling the cops; Dominick calls her bluff and brings Jeff outside to the family's firepit to lure Becky out. He begins to torture Jeff with a marshmallow toasting stick. Becky relents and says she will give him the key. Dominick allows Jeff to talk through the talkie, but he orders Becky to run. Jeff breaks free and finds Becky, telling her he loves her before being shot dead. Dominick demands the key and Becky gouges out his left eye with it before fleeing with Diego.

Dominick goes back into the house to cut off the dangling eye and sends Cole and Hammond out to retrieve the key. Cole finds and chases Becky back to her fort where Diego is. Cole tries to negotiate with Becky, but she surprises him and stabs him repeatedly with colored pencils and jabs a sharp ruler through his neck, killing him.

Apex shows Kayla and Ty compassion and Dominick realizes Apex is going soft. He tries to have Apex reaffirm his loyalty to him since he has been planning this job for years while in prison. After finding Cole's corpse, Hammond chases Becky down to the lake, where she makes him trip and land on a wooden plank of nails. Hammond falls in the lake and Becky uses a nearby boat to violently shred Hammond's chest with its motor. She is found by Apex, who incapacitates Diego. Not wanting to hurt Becky after his guilt over killing the two children earlier, Apex urges her to flee.

Becky makes her presence known to Kayla and Ty; Kayla tries to distract Dominick by asking him about the key's purpose (which is never revealed). Becky sets off the car alarm to lure Dominick out as Kayla tries to free herself. Apex fends off Dominick long enough for Becky to use a lawnmower to run over Dominick's head. Apex thinks he may be redeemed for saving her, but Becky shoots him in the head instead. Kayla and Ty come out with Diego and sit beside Becky as they wait for the police.

In the present, Becky denies murdering the Neo-Nazi gang, even though they know she did it. The sheriff expresses concern over the fact, as Becky shows no remorse.

Cast

Production

In May 2019, it was announced Simon Pegg and Lulu Wilson had joined the cast of the film, with Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion directing from a screenplay by Nick Morris, Lane Skye and Ruckus Skye.[6] In July 2019, it was announced Kevin James had joined the cast of the film, replacing Pegg who dropped out due to a scheduling conflict.[4] In August 2019, Joel McHale, Amanda Brugel and Robert Maillet joined the cast of the film.[7]

Release

The film was scheduled to have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 20, 2020.[8] However, the festival was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] That same month, Quiver Distribution and Redbox Entertainment acquired distribution rights to the film and set it for a June 5, 2020, release.[10]

Through its first 10 days of release, the film ranked as high as 8th on Spectrum's rental charts and 12th at the iTunes Store.[11]

Reception

Box office

Becky made $205,797 from 45 theaters in its opening weekend, finishing second among reported films.[12][13] It made $192,138 from 50 theaters in its second weekend, becoming the first film to officially top The Wretched at the box office.[14][15] It made $85,056 the following week but was itself dethroned by newcomer Followed, before returning to first in its fourth weekend.[16][17]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 72% based on 116 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Becky isn't quite able to sustain enough intensity to fully take advantage of its premise, though it serves up entertainingly nasty thrills for genre fans."[18] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[19]

Dennis Harvey of Variety called the film an "over-the-top yet effectively taut thriller" and "Wilson's nimble half-brat, half-she-devil performance is key to our buying the basic premise, aided by solid supporting cast contributions. James grows less intimidating the more dialogue he's given in an otherwise trim script by marital duo Ruckus and Lane Skye."[20] Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Becky tends to work best when it revels in the blood-splattered set pieces of its script (written by Ruckus Skye, Lane Skye and Nick Morris), going that extra mile and a half in the gore department (special effects makeup was by Karlee Morse) to create some truly disgusting moments, albeit ones that are laced with a grim sense of humor."[21]

References
  1. "Becky". Tribeca Film Festival. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  2. "Becky (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  3. "Becky (2020) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  4. Hipes, Patrick (July 9, 2019). "Kevin James Set To Play Bad Guy In Action Thriller 'Becky'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  5. Hermanns, Grant (June 5, 2020). "CS Interview: Lulu Wilson on Fun & Gory Thriller Becky". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  6. Hipes, Patrick (May 10, 2019). "Simon Pegg Vs. Lulu Wilson Showdown Set In Thriller 'Becky' – Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  7. N'Duka, Amanda (August 27, 2019). "Joel McHale, Amanda Brugel & Robert Maillet Join Kevin James In 'Becky' Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  8. Goldsmith, Jill (March 3, 2020). "Tribeca Sets Feature Lineup Of Films For 2020 Fest". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  9. Beresford, Tribly; Lewis, Hilary (March 12, 2020). "Tribeca Film Festival Postponed Amid Coronavirus Fears". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 17, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  10. N'Duka, Amanda (April 29, 2020). "Quiver, Redbox Team On Rights To Tribeca Thriller 'Becky' Starring Lulu Wilson, Kevin James & Joel McHale". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  11. Brueggemann, Tom (June 15, 2020). "Da 5 Bloods,' 'The King of Staten Island,' and 'Becky' Are This Week's Blockbusters". IndieWire. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  12. "Domestic 2020 Weekend 23 - June 5-7". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  13. Anthony D'Alessandro (June 8, 2020). "Trolls World Tour' Continues To Lead Domestic Box Office In 9th Weekend, Crosses $3M". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  14. "The Numbers - Weekend Box Office Chart for June 12, 2020". The Numbers. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  15. Anthony D'Alessandro (June 15, 2020). "'Invisible Man' Reclaims No. 1 In Weekend 16 As Universal Owns Bulk Of Top 10 Despite 'King Of Staten Island' Sitting Out". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  16. "Domestic 2020 Weekend 25 - June 19-21". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  17. "Domestic 2020 Weekend 26 – June 26-28". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  18. "Becky (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  19. "Becky Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  20. Harvey, Dennis (June 2, 2020). "'Becky': Film Review". Variety. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  21. Jordan Mintzer (June 2, 2020). "'Becky': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
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