![]() ![]() I think it’s worth noting that the general critical consensus for Peppermint is fairly low (13% Rotten Tomatoes score and a Metacritic rating of 29, as of the writing of this review) while audiences seem to be receiving it fairly well (81% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes). Peppermint is an interesting mix of several classic action movies and TV shows, including the Daredevil and Punisher Netflix shows (a particularly bold move considering Garner’s noncanon link to the franchise), the Death Wish franchise (another bold move releasing Peppermint so close to the newest installment), the Kill Bill movies, Die Hard, and Fight Club, among others. And, for the most part, I wasn’t wrong, but I was disappointed. When I first saw a trailer for Peppermint, I thought to myself, “Jennifer Garner playing Frank Castle? I’m in!” I grew up with Garner kicking ass on Alias and I’m a big fan of the moral ambiguity and overall grittiness of the Netflix Marvel shows, so even if it looked a bit predictable and derivative, I was ready for the ride. Synopsis: Peppermint is a revenge story centering on a young mother who finds herself with nothing to lose, and is now going to take from her enemies the very life they stole from her. The other 101 are the problem.Stars: Jennifer Garner, John Gallagher Jr., John Ortiz For a second, you're like, Huh? Then Riley adds, "Just kidding, don't squeal." Mid-rampage, a blood-soaked Riley surprises her old pal Peg with a visit, ties her to a chair and mumbles, "I'm going to burn your house down now with you in it." Peg wets herself. Peppermint has exactly one choice moment. A cretinous, racist, nastily violent slog is what it is. I kept waiting for one of the "You go girl" tweets shown on local TV to close with a TimesUp hashtag.Īs a director, Morel is not burdened with a reputation for style or artistic ambition. Peppermint is set in an alternate universe where vigilante moms are embraced as feminist heroes on social media. You know the drill: Riley breaks into the local AK-47s "R" Us and embarks on a one-woman murder spree, gunning down heavily tattooed henchmen, blowing up corrupt judges and becoming an overnight sensation on Twitter. The audience also knows this because, when she confronts Garcia (Juan Pablo Raba), the following exchange takes place: When the corpses of the three bangers are found hanging upside down from a Ferris wheel, the LAPD realizes Riley's back in town and out for justice. That's apparently how long it takes to Bruce Wayne it around the world honing your body into a lethal weapon. After a corrupt judge releases the three suspects Riley has ID'd, she vanishes for five years. You can probably guess what happens for the next hour-plus, too. Instead, she and her doting dad are machine-gunned to death in slow motion by heavily tattooed henchmen of the Garcia gang after buying an ice cream cone. ![]() Wouldn't it have been great if the tot turned to the camera and said with a smile, "Spoiler alert!"īut no. "Because you can't go around punching people in the face," her mother replies. "Why didn't you punch her in the face?" the child inquires. In an early scene, she and her young daughter are hassled outside a mall by a pushy scout leader named Peg who tells them they're not good enough to join. Garner is saddled with the half-baked role of suburban mom Riley North. He might as well have scissored the screenplays for Death Wish, Taken and Sicario and then taped them back together at random. John ( London Has Fallen - 25 percent!), the story is a steady drip of derivative plotting, dim-witted dialogue and blatant xenophobia. What's wrong is virtually everything else about the film. What's wrong with pulling a switcheroo? Giving a female performer the chance to play a parent who's been wronged by a gang and gets even using a very particular set of skills? The answer, naturally, is not a thing. You might think: Pierre Morel - that's the guy who did Taken. It takes a movie as staggeringly stupid and repellent as Peppermint. Not every Hollywood production has what it takes to parlay a big-name director, big stars and a healthy budget into a 13 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That's right, the race for Worst Picture of the Year looks like a lock. ![]() Unfortunately for the actress, it's Razzie Awards buzz. I'm talking about the buzz for Jennifer Garner's latest. Can you feel it? It's spreading like wildfire. ![]()
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