Skip to main content

Becky: Review


It is always nice to see an actor who is mostly known for their comedic performances want to venture out and try their hand at something different. Just last year we saw Adam Sandler give one of the best performances of his career in Uncut Gems and now one of his best friends in Kevin James is trying his luck at a role that is unlike anything he's ever done before. Should James stick to his usual comedy routine or does he have the chops to play more nasty villain roles?

Becky follows the story of a young girl, played by Lulu Wilson, who is traveling with her dad Jeff (Joel McHale) to their lake house for the weekend. To her surprise her dad has also invited his girlfriend Kayla (Amanda Brugel) and her son Ty. This doesn't go over well as Becky is still not over the loss of her mother who passed away just a year ago so she sets off into the woods with the family dogs. Things get worse from there when a group of convicts, led by Dominick (Kevin James), take the family hostage. Now Becky must take matters into her own hands to save her family from these deadly men.

Take a little bit of Home Alone and mix in a lot of violent 80's B-movies and you get Becky. There is a lot of potential here and while the overall movie does fall short of reaching it's potential it still is a fun and entertaining ride. The initial setup to the story is handled very well. Getting to meet Becky and her dad, seeing their relationship and watching Becky struggle to accept her dad moving on from her deceased mother adds some great character depth. Even when the movie's villains make their arrival to the house and start taking them hostage the intensity begins and you wonder what's going to happen next. Once the blood starts flowing is when things go off the rails, for better and for worse.

This is an extremely bloody and gory movie, to the point where it's basically exploitation. Not to say that any of the blood and gore takes away from the movie but at times it does feel like they rely on it just a little too much or drag on scenes of torture when they could have been cut short. Most of the violence plays into a lot of the entertainment in the movie as you watch this teenage girl fight these convicts, pretty convincingly, so she can save her family. Lulu Wilson is a breakout star here. She carries the movie very well and plays a psychotic, angry teen perfectly. Kevin James does a solid job as the main villain here. He never is quite as menacing as you'd like him to be and his character isn't written all that well but he does what he can with the material. Joel McHale also gives a pretty decent performance as the dad. Nobody else in the cast is necessarily bad but they really aren't fleshed out or given much to do.

In the end, Becky plays out like a good midnight movie. It's got a good enough setup and plenty of blood and action to stay interesting. The first half holds up better than the second half and doesn't reach it's full potential but it does have enough going for it to make it worth a watch.

Rating: 6/10

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Review

  2026 | PG-13 | 145 mins | Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton It has been five years since the last Spider-Man movie hit theaters. Spider-Man: No Way Home was one of the biggest post pandemic movies and was able to capitalize on bringing together all three live action Spider-Man actors. After taking some time off, Spider-Man is back with a new director and a new look at not just the superhero but Peter Parker himself. Picking up right where the last movie left off, everyone has not only forgotten that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, but everyone also has forgotten Peter Parker altogether. Now, living on his own and mostly keeping to himself Peter tries to live a life without his aunt, his best friend and the love of his life. Continuing with his duties as Spider-Man, he has been collaborating with the local police to help track down any villains that try to destroy the city. He still keeps tabs on Ned and MJ as they are now attending MIT and living their life post-Peter Parker. A new t...
Post a Comment
Full Review »

Swapped (2026) | Review

  2026 | PG | 102 mins. | Directed by Nathan Greno Swapped is the latest in what seems to be a never-ending cycle of animated talking animal movies. With the success of Zootopia 2 last year and recent movies like Hoppers and Animal Farm also getting into the mix, how does Swapped separate itself from the pack? On paper, it looks like just another generic animal movie with a heavy-handed lesson that the characters must learn and then everyone feels good in the end. Thankfully, Swapped stands on its own and separates itself by being creative with its character designs as well as taking big chances in its plot point. Throughout the movie we follow a small woodland creature named Ollie (Michael B. Jordan). When he is younger, he befriends a young bird, called a Javan, that he shows how to eat the food of his species. After doing so the bird invites the rest of her flock to come and try this food, which makes things difficult for Ollie and his family. Ollie's species, called Pookoos, ha...
Post a Comment
Full Review »

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Review

  2026 | PG | 98 mins. | Directed by Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc After striking out in the 90s with a live action attempt at the character, Universal and Illumination finally struck gold with Mario and his pals in the 2023 smash hit The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The movie went on to gross over $1.3 billion at the box office and was the second highest grossing movie of 2023. It was inevitable based on well the movie did that a sequel would be right around the corner. Now in 2026 The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is hitting theaters with a bigger story and even more characters.  When Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) is kidnapped by the son of Bowser (Jack Black), Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), it is up to Mario (Chris Pratt) and the gang to try and save her. Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) set out on their own journey to try and find where she is being kept. Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi (Charlie Day) stay back to help protect the Mushroom Kingd...
Post a Comment
Full Review »

Toy Story 5 | Review

  2026 | PG | 102 mins. | Directed by McKenna Harris and Andrew Stanton For over 30 years the Toy Story  series has remained one of the most consistent franchises. The original movie was the first computer animated film and has gone on to be remembered as one of the greatest animated movies of all time. After spawning three sequels, the franchise has gone on to become a cultural phenomenon. Now with Toy Story 5 , the toys are back once again and this time they are taking on a new foe that is putting their jobs in jeopardy. Buzz, Jessie and the gang have their hands full when their owner, Bonnie, has a problem making friends. While Bonnie still loves playing with toys and likes to be imaginative and creative, the kids in her neighborhood and in her dance class only want to do one thing, play with their tablets. Bonnie and her parents are unsure of how to get other kids to want to play with her so the parents end up getting Bonnie her own tablet so she can hopefully interact wit...
Post a Comment
Full Review »

The Mandalorian and Grogu | Review

  2026 | PG-13 | 132 mins. | Directed by Jon Favreau It's been seven years since the last time a Star Wars movie hit the big screen. After The Rise of Skywalker premiered in 2019 and was met with lukewarm reception, Disney decided to shift their focus for Star Wars. Over the last seven years the franchise has seen several series make their way to Disney+. These series have allowed Disney to expand the universe and create new stories within the world. The first series, and arguably one of the best, to hit Disney+ was The Mandalorian. Fan and critic reception has been mostly positive for the three seasons of the show. After toying with a fourth season, Disney decided to scrap the idea and do a new Mandalorian movie and return Star Wars to the big screen. With The Mandalorian and Grogu , the movie follows Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu on a new adventure. Now working for Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) and the New Republic, Mando and Grogu are hired by the Hutt family to track d...
Post a Comment
Full Review »