Sweet Girl - Admerible But A Bit Too Flawed

 

Stream it on Netflix. 

    Sweet Girl is the kind of film you want so much to like but ultimately have too many problems with, making it impossible to enjoy entirely. While the action, some of the performances, and the well-intended message of the need for universal health care in America are all appreciated and decently presented, the film gets bogged down by a few creative decisions that didn’t make much sense to me. Not because I didn’t understand them; they didn’t feel as clever as the filmmakers thought they’d be. 

    The story follows Ray Cooper (Jason Momoa), who lost his wife to cancer that might have been treated with an experimental drug, had the giant pharmaceutical company not pulled it from final testing for profit reasons. Sometime later, Ray, along with his young daughter Rachel (Isabela Merced), are living their lives as best they can despite their tragic loss. However, sometime later, they discover a terrible conspiracy huge enough to warrant sending contract killers after Ray and Rachel. Now, the father/daughter team must solve the mystery and expose the conspiracy before it’s too late. 

    The film presents itself as a standard revenge-driven thriller with a bit of social commentary for good measure, and that is the aptest description of the movie. However, about halfway through the film, there is a significant plot twist (which I will not spoil here) that suddenly and unintentionally feels like it invalidates most of the story. It’s the kind of twist that seems clever at first until you stop to think about some of the non-narrative-related implications it raises. Let me put it this way: if they felt as though they needed Jason Momoa’s star power to make the movie work, they should have utilized him differently. 

    Despite this nearly show-stopping issue, the film still retains some entertaining and relevant aspects. Jason Momoa brings on his usual entertaining charisma, which is always fun to enjoy. The action scenes, when they’re photographed and edited well, are thoughtfully choreographed and executed with precision. And, of course, the much-appreciated message about the necessity for single-payer healthcare in the USA is a message that cannot be said often and loud enough. 

    I cannot say that Sweet Girl is a great film, nor can I proclaim it Jason Momoa’s best work, but it’s a reasonably decent middle-of-the-road kind of movie that seems right at home on Netflix. Check it out only if you’re curious, and there’s nothing else interesting to watch just yet. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.