Verity Movie Review: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)
Verity has an intriguing setup and strong performances from its lead cast, but uneven writing and twists you can see coming from a mile away stop it from becoming the tense thriller it wants to be.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)
Platform: Theatrical Release
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Director: Michael Showalter
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett
Based on Colleen Hoover’s wildly popular novel, Verity brings together Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett in a psychological thriller that sounds great on paper but doesn’t quite stick the landing. The film has all the right ingredients, an intriguing premise, a committed cast, and a genuinely eerie setting, yet it ends up being more predictable than suspenseful.
The story follows Lowen Ashleigh, played by Dakota Johnson, a struggling writer hired to finish the unpublished books of bestselling author Verity Crawford, played by Anne Hathaway. After a serious accident leaves Verity incapacitated, Lowen moves into the Crawford family home to sort through her notes, where she meets Verity’s husband Jeremy, played by Josh Hartnett, along with their son.
While going through Verity’s old papers, Lowen stumbles upon a disturbing manuscript that seems to expose some unsettling family secrets. What starts out as a simple writing job quickly spirals into something much more unnerving, with Lowen left unsure of who she can actually trust.
It’s a familiar thriller setup, with an isolated mansion, a complicated marriage, and a mysterious woman who may not be as helpless as she seems, but there’s enough intrigue here for it to work, at least on paper.
The biggest issue with Verity lies in its screenplay. The film clearly wants to keep audiences guessing about what’s real and what isn’t, which can work really well for this genre. The problem is that most of the twists are far too easy to see coming.
At times, it feels like characters make certain decisions simply because the plot needs them to, rather than because it feels like a natural choice, which makes some of the big reveals land more like plot devices than genuine surprises.
The film also struggles to settle into one consistent tone. It shifts between an erotic thriller, a psychological mystery, and a dark family drama without ever really finding a steady balance between all three.
If there’s one thing Verity gets right, it’s the performances. Dakota Johnson plays Lowen with a quiet, restrained energy that works well, especially during the film’s slower moments.
Anne Hathaway, meanwhile, takes on by far the trickier role, with much of her physicality limited, forcing her to lean entirely on expressions and body language to bring an unsettling edge to Verity.
Josh Hartnett is solid as Jeremy too, though his character doesn’t get the depth needed to make him feel fully fleshed out.
Director Michael Showalter gives the film a polished, atmospheric look, especially through the Crawford family’s isolated mansion, which slowly transforms from a luxurious home into a space that feels increasingly claustrophobic as the story unfolds. Unfortunately, the technical polish often ends up doing more heavy lifting than the actual writing.
Verity isn’t the edge-of-your-seat thriller its premise promises, but it isn’t a complete misfire either. The cast clearly gives it their all, and the eerie setting keeps things visually interesting throughout. It just needed sharper writing and better-developed twists to truly stand out.
If you’re in the mood for more movie reviews this week, check out our takes on Digger, where Tom Cruise trades his usual stunts for satire, and Sigma, a fairly standard action outing that doesn’t leave much of an impact.