Summary

Elizabeth Banks delivers a stellar performance in
Skincare
, delving into themes of success and self-sabotage in Hollywood.
The film offers a unique take on the beauty and film industries, blending humor and darkness effectively.
Despite being slightly shallow,
Skincar
e is a solid noir thriller with funny moments and a compelling narrative.

Elizabeth Banks’ new satirical thriller, Skincare, sees the actress brilliantly combine her comedic and dramatic chops in a biting take on success in a purportedly shallow industry. Her character, Hope Goldman, is a Hollywood aesthetician who seemingly has everything until a plot surfaces to take her down. Skincare is the director Austin Peters’ first narrative feature, but he handles the story and film with the practiced hands of someone who knows their way around Hollywood. It’s interesting to see how he juxtaposes the color and glamour of Los Angeles with the darkness at the center of his tale.

Skincare (2024) Director Austin Peters Release Date August 16, 2024 Writers Sam Freilich , Austin Peters , Deering Regan Character(s) Hope Goldman , Jordan , Jeff , Margaret Runtime 97 Minutes Expand

Though there is a very real antagonist in Skincare, it’s obvious from the beginning that Hope’s worst enemy is herself. Her nebulous background and so-called inspiring rise to the top of her field have made her a shrewd business owner, as have the realities of being a woman in Hollywood. However, her desperation to succeed and remain relevant makes her all too willing to be pushed and prodded into a side of herself that has probably always been there. By the film’s conclusion, we know just how capable Hope is of handling a crisis.

Elizabeth Banks Gives A Career-Defining Performance
Though she’s always had a hand in Hollywood hits, Banks gets her due in Skincare

The men that surround Hope all want something from her, but they each underestimate how far she’s willing to go to get the fame and fortune she believes she deserves. It’s a nuanced performance, and Banks makes us feel for the generally unlikable Hope, even when she makes it impossible. Surprisingly, more recent films haven’t capitalized on putting Banks in the kind of leading role that Skincare does. With experience working behind the camera as well (Banks directed Cocaine Bear), it makes her an expert at what goes into making a character like Hope tick.

However, Banks isn’t the only strong performer, as Nathan Fillion and Lewis Pullman make hilarious scene partners. As Marine, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez anchors the floundering Hope as she struggles to forge ahead. Luis Gerardo Méndez, who plays Angel, Hope’s competition, is hilarious and aloof enough to make us wary of him. However, all the players besides Hope are ancillary, as she’s only focused on herself. The ritual of her skincare routine, the practiced lines she repeats to herself, and the methodical way she approaches her work indicate a person with the script of their life laid out in advance.

The creeping importance of the internet is around every corner in
Skincare
, and its emerging relevance is almost as scary as Hope’s supposed stalker.

Though it takes place in 2013, Skincare doesn’t make a big deal of its technical designation as a period piece. The biggest indicators the film isn’t quite up to date with the contemporary era are Hope’s almost offensively fluffy jackets and uncertainty surrounding social media. The creeping importance of the internet is around every corner in Skincare, and its emerging relevance is almost as scary as Hope’s supposed stalker. Hope can’t compete with the newer, brighter, and better competition, and this alone would drive a person up the wall.

Banks captures this sense of a woman on the verge flawlessly, as her image is everything. Loosely based on a Hollywood scandal from years ago, Skincare’s roots in the true crime movie genre come through when the film lets itself be a classic Los Angeles noir. Dark alleys, driving in vintage cars, and basking under neon lights are Peters’ way of paying tribute to the movies that paved the way for genre flicks like Skincare. It helps that the pacing is just as methodical as Hope herself. The speed picks up until Hope has to slow down and face herself.

Related A Mistake Review: Elizabeth Banks Captivates In Stressful Medical Drama That Retains Its Humanity A Mistake is thorough in examining what happens when a medical mistake occurs, and the consequences that come up because of a moment gone wrong.

Skincare Tells A Familiar Cautionary Tale With A Unique Spin
While the audience might see Hope’s downfall coming, that doesn’t make it any less fun to watch

Thematically, Skincare draws comparisons between the beauty industry, the film industry, and any line of work where surface-level imperfections can be the difference between success and failure. As this is well-trodden territory, it would be easy for Skincare to get preachy or boring, but it doesn’t. The only time it falters is in a particular scene that essentially informs us of the exact motivations behind a character’s actions through voice-over. While it doesn’t take you out of the movie, it’s a plot device that belongs in a lesser script, as Skincare tends to trust us throughout the story.

The overarching problem is the film’s tendency to be a touch too shallow, even if that’s the point of the narrative. Finding out more about Hope’s hidden past, the supporting characters, and the big lives everyone hints at would have made the story more compelling and helped the characters feel real. While the film avoids clunky exposition, it could have dispensed a few more details to make the final sequence hit harder. However, Skincare gives Banks an excellent vehicle with plenty of funny moments, and there’s little more to ask from a new-age Hollywood noir.

Skincare is now playing in theaters. The film is 96 minutes long and rated for sexual content, graphic nudity, language throughout, some violence and brief drug use.

3.0 “Skincare” features the renowned aesthetician Hope Goldman and the challenges she faces when her rival, Angel Vergara, opens a competing boutique just across the street. This rivalry sets off a chain of events where Hope, with the support of her friend Jordan, seeks to discover the person behind the sabotage of her business.ProsElizabeth Banks delivers a fantastic performanceThe story is a solid noir, funny and its themes offer a unique take ConsThe film can be a bit too shallow, which lessens the final impact