Grammy Award Winner Brandy Norwood encounters a different type of “Grammy” in The Front Room, a gross-out duel for a man-child’s love.
When audiences think of horror films distributed by A24, they notice a pattern between them; a slow-burn narrative, gorgeous cinematography, a moody score, haunting imagery, naked old people, and disturbing violence that all culminate in a shocking ending. At the same time, Max and Sam Eggers’ The Front Room has some of these aspects but flounders completely as a horror film, because it isn’t one. The trailers have fooled many including myself into thinking that this would be a typical in-law dramedy, but with a supernatural horror twist. Sadly that’s not the case as the film is a full-on dark comedy, filled with plenty of poop and farts to go around, a similar aspect carried over from Max Eggers’ collaboration with his brother Robert, 2019’s classic horror-comedy, The Lighthouse.
The story begins with Belinda (Brandy Norwood), an unfulfilled anthropology professor in the final stages of her pregnancy. Her husband, Norman’s (Andrew Burnap) father has recently passed away due to stomach cancer, and his final dying wish was for his son to take in his estranged stepmother, Solange, (Kathryn Hunter) an incontinent, racist, overtly religious, and controlling woman who bribes the couple with her will for them to welcome the unwanted guest. The film is based on a short story by Susan Hill and it shows, as the film struggles to shove enough story into a 95-minute runtime with long stretches of repetitive events happening over and over again only to build up to nothing. The film never ramps up in tension, as it feels like everything is on an even level, the story becomes monotonous as a result.
A24 had marketed this film as a big clash between in-laws that served as Brandy’s big return to the horror genre (After starring in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer), but to be honest, it doesn’t feel like she wanted to be there as she sleepwalks through her role. I can’t blame her as her character is poorly written. Belinda is oddly calm for everything she has to put up with in the film, only “losing it” once on Solange, and even then, her outburst doesn’t feel impactful as it lasts four seconds and the tone of her voice isn’t where it feels like it should be. Not only that, but her husband, Norman, feels too calm when his wife is constantly telling him of his stepmother’s sinister deeds, brushing it off and telling her to “try and not let it get to you” as he tries to score a new job at his law firm.
Kathryn Hunter’s Solange seems to be the only one having fun with this story as she is the only character who feels truly alive in the film. Hunter cackles her way to power as she defecates all over her host’s home numerous times, screaming in terror until somebody cleans her up. While these moments are hilarious at first, they become tedious and annoying as that is all that happens for the rest of the film, while that is the point of the filmmakers to annoy the audience with Solange’s demands, it doesn’t work as it tires the audience out instead of building an engaging narrative. Solange’s humorous overbearingness becomes too much towards the end of the film, and while this can be seen as a positive that the filmmakers are putting you in the audience’s shoes, at the same time it does not create an enjoyable experience.
While some may get enjoyment out of the shenanigans that Solange puts Belinda, Norman, and their newborn whom she named “Laurie” through, the film struggles as a whole to tell an engaging narrative that will leave a long-lasting impact on its audiences. Sadly, I will remember Lee Daniels’ newest film, the hilariously awful, The Deliverance, a film that deals with similar themes, more than this missed attempt at a dark comedy. While the film has an interesting score composed by Marcelo Zarvos (May December), interesting shot choices, and direction, these aspects are overshadowed by mostly lackluster performances and a tedious script.
The Front Room is an interesting way to execute a dark comedy, as its comedic moments soon turn annoying, and you feel like you’re stuck with a rude, stinky, and racist family member, it is not a film I will ever return to, but I appreciate its existence.
The Front Room is written for the screen and directed by Sam & Max Eggers, it is adapted from a short story by Susan Hill, starring Brandy Norwood, Andrew Burnap, and Kathryn Hunter. A24 released the film on September 6, 2024.
