I'm tempted to say that I hated this movie, but I think a more accurate statement would be that I didn't understand it, particularly from a rooting interest standpoint.
Like, was I actually supposed to care about any of these characters? Because it sure seems like that was the intention (there are too many sincere moments for any of this to work as satire), and, if it was, then I guess I'm just not seeing the appeal here. Marla and her partner are irredeemable in a way that I didn't find even remotely compelling or fun to watch, and the Russian mafia guys are so incompetent that their frequent failures genuinely started to irritate me after a while. I promise I'm not one of those people who needs to love and relate to every character in order to enjoy a story, but I'd sure like to feel something other than seething contempt every now and then, especially when the plot relies so heavily on conveniently botched hits.
And even when we put aside the character stuff, I found the comedic elements tired and unfunny, the crime elements dumb and unconvincing, and the attempts at female empowerment laughably misguided. This one might've stood an outside chance if Dianne Wiest was the lead (establishing some relatable stakes and giving the feminist message far more resonance), or if it leaned more heavily on the absurdity of it all. But, as it stands, I honestly think the whole thing's a confused, miserable, aggravating wash.
Grade: D+
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