Violet is a widowed mother who goes to an upscale restaurant to meet Henry, her charming and handsome date. However, her pleasant evening soon turns into a living nightmare when she receives phone messages from a mysterious, hooded figure who threatens to kill her young son and sister unless she kills Henry.
Director: Christopher Landon
Cast: Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, Jacob Robinson, Reed Diamond, Ben Pelletier, Gabrielle Ryan, Jeffery Self, Ed Weeks, Travis Nelson
Release Date: April 11, 2025
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Rated PG-13 for strong violent content, suicide, some strong language and sexual references.
Runtime: 1h 40m
Review:
Christopher Landon's Drop is admittedly ludicrous at various points during its runtime but that doesn't keep his well-crafted pseudo Hitchcockian thriller from being an entertaining experience. Landon’s direction is confident and efficient as he wastes little time getting the general premise and setting established with general ease. He adds a handful of visual flourishes that work well to make sequences pop and put us in the mind of Meghann Fahy, Violet, as she's being taunted by her unseen assailant. The script does give Landon a more complex female lead to work with than he has in his previous films, and he proves more than capable of handling her tragic backstory in a meaningful way which gives the character a solid story arc. Impressively, Landon still manages to bring the same type of comedic sensibilities that he's known from his previous films, like Happy Death Day and Freaky, while balancing some of the heftier themes at play here. It might not work as well if Meghann Fahy didn't deliver such a well-balanced performance that keeps her character likable even though she might be the worst first date ever through no fault of her own. Her and Brandon Sklenar share some strong screen chemistry which helps keep the whole thing watchable even as things get increasingly more outlandishly detached from reality and logic. Sklenar is perfectly suited as the dream date with a nearly unlimited sense of patience and goodwill paired with good looks. They make for a believable pair even amongst the clandestine madness going on in the background. The supporting players are given generic, one note, characters but Gabrielle Ryan and Jeffery Self make the most of their screentime as an attentive bartender and overly excited waiter. There's a strong verve to most of Drop, thanks to its cast and direction, but the wheels do start to fly off the narrative once the central mystery is revealed which makes the film's finale choppier than everything that came before it.
B-
