Overview
A woman seeks revenge against those who wronged her friend, navigating a dangerous world of deception and betrayal.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- provocative
- darkly comic
- stylized
- intense movie night
- social justice discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Emerald Fennell's provocative feature debut, Carey Mulligan's performance, and its fresh subversion of the rape-revenge thriller, while finding its finale and tonal choices divisive.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Cassie targets men who exploit intoxicated women while the story questions the costs and limits of her campaign.
The film contrasts vivid production design, cosmetics, and pop-inflected presentation with predation and trauma.
Ryan and other men are introduced through reassuring social codes that the film repeatedly subjects to scrutiny.
Cassie's past is connected to medical school, friendship circles, family respectability, and the normalization of sexual violence.
Films like Promising Young Woman, and why
The Last Seduction
shares a rape-and-revenge framework, feminist social critique, and morally confrontational thriller tone
Death Proof
combines dark comedy, female anger, sexual politics, and an audacious revenge narrative
Ms .45
features a psychologically intense vigilante protagonist confronting misogyny through stylized crime-thriller storytelling
Hard Candy
shares a provocative female-led revenge structure, social commentary, and discomforting ambiguity about justice
Movie Details
- Director
- Emerald Fennell
- Release Date
- 2020-12-13
- Runtime
- 114 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (3861)
Cast
- Carey Mulligan
- Bo Burnham
- Alison Brie
- Clancy Brown
- Jennifer Coolidge
- Laverne Cox
- Chris Lowell
- Molly Shannon
- Connie Britton
- Adam Brody
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Peacock Premium, YouTube TV, USA Network, Peacock Premium Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Promising Young Woman about?
- A candy-colored revenge thriller follows a grieving dropout who turns staged vulnerability into a weapon against men protected by social respectability.
- What is Promising Young Woman like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Promising Young Woman as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Promising Young Woman violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Promising Young Woman as moderate.
- What did critics think of Promising Young Woman?
- Critics broadly praised Emerald Fennell's provocative feature debut, Carey Mulligan's performance, and its fresh subversion of the rape-revenge thriller, while finding its finale and tonal choices divisive.
- Which films are like Promising Young Woman?
- Films with a similar feel include The Last Seduction, Death Proof, Ms .45, and Hard Candy.
- How long is Promising Young Woman?
- Promising Young Woman runs 114 minutes.
- Where can I watch Promising Young Woman?
- In United States, Promising Young Woman streams on Peacock Premium, YouTube TV, USA Network, Peacock Premium Plus.
