Talk about unleashing the beast. That’s certainly what Amy Adams does in this flick.
Based on the book of the same name, “Nightbitch” follows a stay-at-home mom (Adams) who put her career as an artist on hold to raise her son. Her husband (Scoot McNairy) is often not present, either, as he is usually traveling for work and is only around during brief times off.
Feeling stressed out, under-appreciated and just overall fed up with the state of things, the woman’s more feral side begins to show itself. More or less, she sort of goes werewolf, and it gives her renewed confidence as a woman and a mother.
If someone told you that this movie is just Amy Adams turning into a dog, it wouldn’t be inaccurate, but it’s not the whole story, either. The film does have moments where Adams’ mother character does run wild with the dogs, but in many cases, it is more allegorical than anything.
Usually, in scenes where her canine side comes out, it’s often shown as a way for the character to free herself. For example, when she’s breaking gender roles, standing up for herself, dealing with frustrations and taking more agency in forging her own path. It makes the more fantastical elements work.
It also helps that the film is really funny in these moments. Whether it’s the mother character having an animalistic showing, especially with food, or simply having an inner monologue, the film is hilarious and oozing with satire.
Writer Marielle Heller, who also directs, did impressive work with the script. Not only did she add plenty of humor to the film, but she also captured Adams’ character’s evolution over the course of the picture where she goes through the process of self-actualization.
One of the best parts of the film is how Mother’s epiphanies and realizations aren’t limited to herself either. There’s a group of other new mothers who the protagonist meets early in the film and initially she’s skeptical about a friendship with any of them.
But as the film goes on, and Mother expresses herself more, the other women open up about experiencing the same thing. It makes for good moments of bonding between women and strengthens the film’s themes.
It of course helps to have a six-time Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe winning actress in the lead role. Amy Adams sinks her teeth into the performance, quite literally in some parts, and it pays off. She sells every moment, whether it’s satirical, absurdist or completely grounded.
One just wishes the husband character was a bit more developed. He’s played by Scoot McNairy, who has plenty of experience and does fine here, but his character is written to be a bit too uncaring and unaware at times. I get that’s probably what the film was going for to an extent, but it could have been dialed back just a bit.
The film can also be a bit unbalanced tonally at times and it probably could have used additional runtime to explore some aspects more deeply. However, “Nightbitch” remains a strong, funny film nicely crafted by Heller and featuring a strong performance from Adams. 4.25 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 
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