I really wanted to like this film. Julia Garner works the hell out of the very little she is given to work with. But she's not chewing a script with the bite, resonance, or action of her work on Ozark. If only.
On the whole, I enjoy low-key films like this, especially when they are visually appealing (this is). I know the point is to be put in the head of the protagonist, but the main problem, beyond the airy nature of the "plot", is that nothing happens to Garner's character that is not (sadly) commonplace in the Real World. That doesn't make what she suffers right, but it also doesn't make for a very intriguing or empathic set-up, unless maybe you've never held ANY office job before, whatsoever.
The Assistant comes to life briefly when Matt Macfadyen, doing a bone-chilling turn as a mid-level HR flunkie, serves it to Garner straight: Nothing she's complaining about is out-of-line, everybody knows there's a problem, but guess what.... her boss is the Big Boss, and for better or worse all she's going to accomplish by letting off steam is getting herself fired faster than she would have otherwise.
This film should have gone deeper, should have exposed more layers of the environment and added a few more plot elements, but the snail's pace of this film guarantees it will obsolete itself in most viewers memories shortly after they turn it off. By the mid-point (45 freaking minutes in) , almost nothing develops except for a few brief angry phone conversations as we follow Garner around the office doing mundane grunt-level tasks. I think it was a good move to keep Big Boss off camera. It's obvious who that character is modeled on, but there's nothing enlightening here.
Yes, bosses can be jerks... sexist, selfish, pigs. Yeah, we get that. They can also implicate their subordinates in any number of filthy scams solely for their own sadistic pleasure and monetary benefits. You either put up with it or you quit. No movement will change the fact that most people are egocentric, greedy, and flawed.
This film won't change anything either. It simply doesn't try hard enough.
On the whole, I enjoy low-key films like this, especially when they are visually appealing (this is). I know the point is to be put in the head of the protagonist, but the main problem, beyond the airy nature of the "plot", is that nothing happens to Garner's character that is not (sadly) commonplace in the Real World. That doesn't make what she suffers right, but it also doesn't make for a very intriguing or empathic set-up, unless maybe you've never held ANY office job before, whatsoever.
The Assistant comes to life briefly when Matt Macfadyen, doing a bone-chilling turn as a mid-level HR flunkie, serves it to Garner straight: Nothing she's complaining about is out-of-line, everybody knows there's a problem, but guess what.... her boss is the Big Boss, and for better or worse all she's going to accomplish by letting off steam is getting herself fired faster than she would have otherwise.
This film should have gone deeper, should have exposed more layers of the environment and added a few more plot elements, but the snail's pace of this film guarantees it will obsolete itself in most viewers memories shortly after they turn it off. By the mid-point (45 freaking minutes in) , almost nothing develops except for a few brief angry phone conversations as we follow Garner around the office doing mundane grunt-level tasks. I think it was a good move to keep Big Boss off camera. It's obvious who that character is modeled on, but there's nothing enlightening here.
Yes, bosses can be jerks... sexist, selfish, pigs. Yeah, we get that. They can also implicate their subordinates in any number of filthy scams solely for their own sadistic pleasure and monetary benefits. You either put up with it or you quit. No movement will change the fact that most people are egocentric, greedy, and flawed.
This film won't change anything either. It simply doesn't try hard enough.