Skincare
Aesthetician Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks) is legendary in Hollywood and is on the verge of a whole new level of fame with her skin care line about to launch. But right after taping a segment on local a.m. talk show ‘Brett & Kelly,’ facialist Angel Vergara (Luis Gerardo Méndez, TV's 'Narcos: Mexico') opens right across the way, her landlord Jeff (John Billingsley) is unwilling to cut her some slack and an impersonator sends out a horrific email to her entire client list. Convinced Angel is trying to sabotage her business, Hope leans on new friend Jordan (Lewis Pullman, "The Starling Girl") to help her get back on track in “Skincare.”
Laura's Review: C
Cowriter (with Sam Freilich and Deering Regan)/director Austin Peters opens his film telling us that it is a fictional story inspired by true events, but he seems to be recounting the true 2014 story of aesthetician Dawn DaLuise beat for beat, at least until he loses his plot along the way. Peters shuffles his opening events a little awkwardly before beginning to engage us in what appears to be a cut and dry case of character defamation, but everything falls apart in a last act which finds only one character somewhat redeemable. It is also all too easy to figure out what is really going on.
‘Reputation is everything in this business,’ Hope purrs to Brett Wright (Nathan Fillion, TV's 'Firefly,' "The Suicide Squad"), an irony that will be underscored within 24 hours when clients begin to cancel after her email confessing to loneliness, horniness and the potential loss of her business. Tuning in to watch her debut on ‘Brett & Kelly,’ Hope and her receptionist/PR manager Marine (Michaela Jaé (MJ) Rodriguez, TV's 'Pose') are shocked to see that a segment on Angel is being aired instead. When Brett treats her to dinner, Hope gets an assurance he will do everything in his power to get her spot aired the following week. Thankfully she’s recorded the sexual favor he demands in return, causing him to panic.
There are way too many players here. Old client Colleen (Wendy Malick, TV's 'Young Sheldon') introduces Hope to 26 year-old Jordan and disappears from the picture while Jordan inexplicably remains. When the tires on Hope’s Mercedes convertible are slashed, Armen (Erik Palladino) not only replaces them for free, but offers to ‘take care of’ the person who did it, presumably Angel, obviously also hoping for sexual favors. Hope sweet talks famous client Jessica (Ella Balinska) and beauty website owner Margaret (Medalion Rahimi, "Before I Fall") in hopes of sponsorship, only to watch in horror as both enter Angel’s salon. Then a shady looking guy enters Hope’s demanding to see her immediately for sex, responding to a craigslist ad describing a rape fantasy. Jordan goes to talk to Angel and is unceremoniously thrown out, recognized for the operator he is, then lies to Hope about the outcome. Murder, death and betrayal will follow.
The story is remarkable, but there are too many false notes, such as why Hope would cover for a certain person when police locate security footage of her tires being slashed. The timeline motivation for the crime and its perpetrator’s introduction into Hope’s life doesn’t really add up. Banks is fine as a famous aesthetician, but not so believable in Hope’s paranoid desperation, the character becoming increasingly unlikable when sympathy was needed to maintain interest. Pullman is too much of a blank, his character underwritten. Production design, locations and costume are all more believable than these people are.
Robin's Review: C+
Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks) is on top of the world. She owns a successful skin care salon and is weeks away from launching her very own line of products. Then, a rival shop moves in right across the street and things start to go terribly wrong for the entrepreneur in “Skincare.”
“A fictional story based on true events” begins director Austin Peters telling of Hope Goldman’s rise and fall as a beauty aesthetician to celebrities. She is on the verge of expanding her “empire” with the release of her new cosmetics line. It is a tumultuous time for her and she does not need competition – especially at this critical moment. Then, her email is hacked in a most unpleasant and graphic way.
This is where Hope’s life pressures push her to paranoid delusion (or, is it?) and taking drastic actions against her “enemy.” That enemy is Angel Vergara (Luis Gerardo Mendez), owner of Shimmer and, of course, she confronts him about his intrusion on her turf. He tells her to stop parking in his parking space. The gauntlets are thrown.
If it was not touted as based on a true story, this Elizabeth Banks-led tale could be taken as an absurdist fantasy. But, after reading the “true story” about Hope and her dramatic fall, I realize we have a case of truth is stranger than fiction.
Throughout the telling of “Skincare,” I wondered if we were seeing a story of paranoid delusion or one of a genuine turf war between the two shops. I tend to think that Hope created her mean-spirited opponent in her mind and treated it as if it were reality.
While the filmmakers touch all the bases in the “true story,” it gets a confusing as the pieces of the story are laid out, but only later explained. This distracted me as I had to figure things out for myself. Hope’s downward spiral and ultimate fall got a little confused in the end, though her desperation is palpable.
IFC Films releases "Skincare" in theaters on 8/16/24.
