Send Help Review: A “Liddle” Island Getaway.
Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios.
Listen closely. Have you ever felt like no matter how hard you work, your effort goes unnoticed and the grind never seems to end? There is always talk of potential promotions or salary raises, but they somehow always fall through the cracks. Send Help taps directly into that frustration and will absolutely resonate with anyone who has ever felt stuck in that cycle. The film stars Rachel McAdams and our boy Dylan O’Brien as Linda Liddle and Bradley Preston, respectively. Linda is a loyal employee in the company’s Strategy and Planning department, while Bradley is the son of the man who started the company, so you can already imagine exactly what he is like.
Bradley’s father is never seen on screen, but he is mentioned just enough to highlight how badly the system can fail people like Linda. His appreciation for her hard work means very little once power changes hands, which feels painfully familiar. The movie uses this setup to poke fun at how corporate promises tend to disappear the moment the wrong person is in charge, especially if you do not have the right “connections.”
Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios.
Now, as much as I hate to admit it, I can almost see where a character like Bradley is coming from. Linda is socially awkward and often unaware of her surroundings, which could make an executive role at a massive corporation a tough fit. That said, devoting nearly a decade of your life to a company with the hope that hard work will eventually pay off, only to be met with disappointment, would wear down just about anyone. The real world is rarely fair, and it is easy to understand why a character like Linda might eventually lose a few marbles.
After losing her chance to become vice president, Linda finally snaps and confronts Bradley, who offers her the chance to “prove herself” by joining him on a business trip to Bangkok for a company merger. This is where the story truly kicks into motion. While traveling on a private jet, the plane crashes during a storm, leaving only Linda and Bradley alive, stranded together on a deserted island.
I have not seen Dylan O’Brien in a movie since The Maze Runner franchise, which I absolutely adored back in my teen years, so seeing him here was incredibly frustrating in the best way possible. He does an excellent job playing a mean-spirited, self-absorbed piece of s**t. He is consistently hilarious from start to finish, but Rachel McAdams is the one who truly steals the show. Once Linda ends up on the island, she immediately begins to shine. As someone who is obsessed with survival shows, she suddenly finds herself in a situation where she has control, purpose, and the chance to finally be needed.
Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios.
This shift is where Send Help truly locks into its groove. The survival setup becomes the perfect playground for the film’s humor, letting Linda’s competence and Bradley’s uselessness bounce off each other in increasingly absurd ways. Trying to predict where the story goes next is a lost cause, as the movie fully embraces its ridiculousness. It is the ideal kind of film to grab a group of friends and see together.
At its core, Send Help is just a simple, fun, good time. There is no sprawling universe to keep track of, no deep lore to study, and no homework required before you sit down. All you need is your ticket, a bucket of popcorn, and a drink, and you are guaranteed a damn good time filled with laughs, moments of shock, relatable frustration, and even the occasional bit of heart when you least expect it.
We strongly recommend Send Help, so do yourself a favor and catch it in cinemas this weekend, especially with Movietowne’s JanMania Buy 1 Get 1 Free special, because it is Friday, work is done, and you deserve a fun night out at the movies.