Send Help sees Rachel McAdams’ put upon office drone flip the script on Dylan O’Brien’s oafish office tyrant.
Newly installed nepo baby Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien) barely notices dowdy office mouse Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) when he meets her – he’s too busy hiring his old college buddies and interviewing personal assistants based on looks rather than talent. It’s a shame, because awkward, self-effacing Linda is a quiet powerhouse, single handedly keeping the whole business afloat for his late father. She’s also, as it happens, a survival nut who always dreamed of competing on Survivor – which comes in handy when their plane goes down on a business trip, leaving the mismatched pair stuck on a desert island.
“What are the odds?” you may ask, and the real answer is “Not particularly high.” But a better question is “Is that a cool idea for a movie?” and the answer is a resounding hell yes – especially in the hands of Evil Dead mastermind Sam Raimi, who’s a dab hand when it comes to this kind of twisted EC Comics-inspired morality play. Straight To Hell is the obvious point of comparison, but what’s A Simple Plan if not the same sort of story with all the jokes excised.
The jokes are intact here, though – Send Help is a massive amount of fun as we watch McAdams’ Linda come into her own as she sets up shop in their tropical prison and cares for a wounded and ungrateful Bradley (O’Brien is absolutely channeling Raimi’s regular punching bang, Bruce Campbell – in fact, Campbell gets a bling-and-miss-it cameo as Brad’s dad). Of course, the issue that comes steadily to the fore is that Linda may not want to get rescued, only for things to go back to the way things were. And she might go to great lengths to keep salvation at bay.
Sam Raimi is in a playful mood with this one. We’re never supposed to take things seriously, but we’re invited to match the movie’s freak, and if you can tune into its delirious, gleefully gory wavelength, you’re gonna have a good time. McAdams and O’Brien completely commit to the bit, the odd hairpin twist or sudden gore gag keeps us on our toes, and the whole thing comes in at a respectable 115 minutes, not overstaying its welcome for a second. Send Help may not be an instant classic, but it’s a real good time at the movies, and that’s enough.
Send Help is in cinemas now.
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