After her breakthrough role in Pretty Little Liars, Lucy Hale has recently starred in a string of films that offer her own brand of laughs or terror. She confidently struts down the rom-com path with wholesome installments of The Hating Game, A Nice Girl Like You or Which Brings Me To You, where she delivers an offbeat intensity around sex and relationships that is awkwardly relatable. On the other hand, her roles in the horror genre, including Truth or Dare or Fantasy Island, take us back to the constant fear and paranoia of being stalked by “A,” just in a more mature setting. In 2025, it is about time that these two worlds collided, giving us the ultimate Hale production: F Marry Kill.
Directed by Laura Murphy, F Marry Kill puts Hale at the center of a whodunit plot that mixes elements of rom-coms and thrillers, hitting every note in the actor’s filmography. She shares the screen with a talented ensemble cast, raking up chemistry wherever she goes and luring us into the real version of the titular game. Jumping off from modern fears of where the dating scene and true crime media intersect, F Marry Kill is a genuinely hilarious and often tense look at meeting strangers online — irresistibly hot ones, of course. But as enthusiastic and comedic as it can be, the film winds down to an ending that undermines any meaningful or clever direction it was trying to go in.
What Is ‘F Marry Kill’ About?

After eight years of pausing her life while in a relationship with a narcissistic cop, Eva (Hale) reaches her 30th birthday, when she is finally ready to jump back into the dating scene in a “rebound phase” capacity. Her friends Robin (Bethany Brown) and Lila (Threnody Tsai) encourage her to go on dating apps while Kelly (Virginia Gardner) holds her reservations about prioritizing romantic flings over seeking marriage. Another complication of a serial killer on the loose is also thrown into the mix, dubbed the Swipe Right Killer due to the theory that he is meeting his victims through dating platforms. Eva and Lila are avid fans of the same true-crime podcast detailing these murders, and so far, the evidence hints at the killer loving a bottle of rosé, leaving no fingerprints, understanding forensic science and having size 10 shoes.
Though Eva is initially reluctant about making an online profile, her sister Valerie’s (Brooke Nevin) paranoia about security and prejudices against meeting strangers goads Eva into diving into the online dating scene. Subsequently, she meets her three candidates. Mitch (Brendan Morgan) is a swoony bar owner she meets on the app, who is amazing in bed but has scars over his fingertips. Kyle (Jedidiah Goodacre) is a middle school classmate she spies on the app, who has an entitled temper and a taste for rosé. Norman (Samer Salem) comes over to install the security system Valerie gifted Eva, but is also taking late-night forensic science classes. As the clues add up, Eva is tossed into a real-life version of F Marry Kill, trying to discern who is the perfect one-night-stand, who is marriage material, and who is the Swipe Right Killer before it is too late.
Lucy Hale Is Joined By a Terrific Ensemble Cast in ‘F Marry Kill’

F Marry Kill truly is the “Lucy Hale show,” but not in a pretentious way — it is an amalgamation of the roles she has excelled in, churning out a compelling character. Eva is what we have come to expect from Hale: she has a dry, witty sense of humor, is animated in her emotions, and has that wide-eyed innocence that hides a clever, sleuthing persona. Hale plays Eva with a vigor that is difficult not to be charmed by, easily carrying our attention and interest throughout the film. The script pairs perfectly with her expressive delivery, especially during comical scenes of Eva awkwardly asking her one-night-stand to leave because she snores or trying to find a pretense to check her date’s shoe size. We may have seen this character many times before in her previous roles, but it still feels earned every time, especially in the context of this comedic, romantic mystery.
While Hale holds our focus consistently throughout F Marry Kill, the film’s supporting cast has their own scene-stealing moments too — when they aren’t uplifting Hale’s spotlight. Nevin and Gardner in particular complement Eva’s realist and idealist sides, as they both portray their respective extreme archetypes who are still undeniably intriguing. Nevin’s paranoid and ultra-protective character of Eva’s sister gives Hale someone to banter with, as sisterly bickering and verbal hair-pulling make their bond endearing. On the other hand, Gardner’s unflappable bubbliness as Kelly and veiled horror at Eva’s noncommittal attitude toward sex brings out the more grounded side to Eva’s character. Their lived-in performances make us believe they have been close friends for years, despite the undercurrents of tension caused by their differing relationship status now.
The film wouldn’t work if Hale didn’t have chemistry with the actors who played Eva’s potential bachelors, but that’s not a problem. Hale sparks unique chemistry with each of her co-stars, finding palpable sexual tension with Morgan, jumpy intrigue with Goodacre and lovable awkwardness with Salem. Each of the men allows their performances to toe the line between the general mystery of getting to know someone, and the potential danger of a first date (especially when there is a serial killer on the loose), keeping our heartbeats erratic and eyes glued to the screen. While some red herrings in this whodunit are slightly more obtuse than others, there is enough credible chemistry between everyone to sustain the stakes and keep us guessing.
‘F Marry Kill’ Undermines Its Murder Mystery and True Crime Exploration

Image via Buzzfeed Studios

The central mystery in F Marry Kill initially feels like a novelty (albeit slightly gimmicky), but the film ends up undermining itself with its ending. Throughout its runtime, it falls back on familiar patterns of red herrings and misdirection, yet it doesn’t feel as suspenseful as the genre demands. We are swept away by Hale’s performance and Eva’s connections in the film, yet it is all done in a whirlwind romance kind of manner. None of the leads are truly given even time to fester and evolve into frantic theories in our minds, as each of the three suspects is allocated a limited amount of time. But the mystery only truly takes a toll in the third act.
But the direction the conclusion goes in undercuts the sense of impending real-life danger the film seems like it was trying to achieve. While the movie is a comedy and first approaches the idea of the danger women have to prepare for when going on a date with someone they meet online with levity and humor, it progressively becomes more real, giving us scenes of authentic anxiety and panic. Sequences of self-awareness also add to this effect, as exchanges that comment on how true-crime media exploit victims of their content are made, or even when Eva incredulously remarks on the “big killer’s speech” in the ending.
All this points to the film trying to dig at something deeper: that very realistic threat of violence against women. But it crumbles under the final twist, dispelling any attempt at finding something meaningful under the layers of quotidian comedy and romance. Even though F Marry Kill doesn’t quite live up to its potential, it doesn’t mean it needs to be buried six-feet-under — it is more suited to a steamy, giggling one-night-stand.

F Marry Kill

‘F Marry Kill’ isn’t marriage or killing material, but it offers relatable humor and a gripping whodunit.

Release Date

December 6, 2024

Runtime

97 minutes

Director

Laura Murphy

Pros & Cons

Lucy Hale dominates the screen with her brand of sleuthing comedy that is always a pleasure to watch.
Supporting characters were perfectly casted, making us believe in every friendship, romance and red herring.
The film’s offbeat premise is indulgent and keeps our attention.

The film’s ending may succeed in shocking you, but leaves you unsatisfied.
Its approach to true crime wavers; it feels like it is about to hit something meaningful, then swerves away.