Nightbitch review: "Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"

"I am Nightbitch!" Oscar-nominee Amy Adams uttering those three unforgettable words in the trailer for her new dark comedy helped the teaser go instantly viral. Then people learnt what the movie was about, which sold them even more as yes, Nightbitch sees the Arrival star play a new mom who believes that she is turning into a dog. And with that, we were seated.

It's a simple but seemingly brilliant premise that had already worked before on the pages of author Rachel Yoder's critically acclaimed novel of the same name. And with such a fantastic actor at the helm and Can You Ever Forgive Me filmmaker Marielle Heller in the director’s chair, surely this was a recipe for success? What could go wrong? Well, it turns out, plenty.

In fact, it is genuinely astonishing just how dull Nightbitch is, which becomes blatantly clear from the opening and only gets worse with every passing minute. We first join Adams' frustrated unnamed mother as she goes about her daily routine, continually engaged in battle whether it’s at the supermarket, at various parent and toddler groups, or at home where her crap husband (Scoot McNairy) proves himself to be as useful as a chocolate teapot. Every morning she exhaustingly asks herself: "What fresh hell am I due today?"

Put simply, Adams' mother cannot get a minute of rest, with the only escape being her imagination, which allows her to dream up moments where she gets to unleash all that pent-up anger, exasperatedly telling a stranger that actually, she is finding motherhood to be incredibly tough – which is something she would never admit in reality out of the fear of being judged.

These slice-of-life scenes ring of truthfulness and are cleverly repeated in montages, highlighting the monotonous nature of this mother's struggles. However, whilst the authenticity of this portrayal of motherhood is worthy of praise, it's also something we have seen on screen countless times before. Now that Adams' mother is reaching breaking point, it's what Nightbitch does next which will ultimately make or break the movie.

Going feral

Now, no one can deny that having the exhausted mother believe that she is turning into a dog isn’t original. In fact, that’s one of the reasons Yoder's novel made such an impression. However, whilst this twist should be incredibly daring, push our boundaries, and introduce some mischief to Nightbitch, it instead is everything but. It almost feels like Heller and co. deliberately chose the most boring version of events, dialing the tone way back and stripping the premise of all its boldness – which is incredibly disappointing given the promise it held.

This body horror twist could have made Nightbitch something really special, but alas very little is done with it. The movie isn't interested in diving into whether or not the mother really is turning into a dog – it doesn’t seem to care whether it's a hallucination or not, even though that should be the most fascinating aspect of Nightbitch. There are very few scenes which explore it, which is even more of a shame as often these are the stand-outs, such as a moment where the puzzled mother horrifyingly pulls a hair out of her body. We do get a transformation scene where Adams completely turns into a dog but even that is shockingly lackluster, devoid of any spark that could ignite a visceral reaction.

The film's restraint unfortunately holds Adams back. Her phenomenal performances in the likes of Arrival, Nocturnal Animals, and The Master proves that she is a mesmerizing actor, bringing so much heart and emotion to the roles she takes on. However, in Nightbitch whilst it’s clear she is trying her best, Adams is never given the chance to let loose. There are hints of the greatness that could have been at times, such as the scene where the mother imagines getting all of her frustrations out at the local supermarket, but there is nothing here for Adams to really sink her teeth into. Whilst there were hopes this might secure Adams her seventh Oscar nomination, it instead is a complete waste of her talent.

And the same is true behind the camera too. Director Heller proved herself to be a force of nature with the witty Can You Ever Forgive Me, and the wonderful A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood was powerfully affecting. So, what happened with Nightbitch? Admittedly the adaptation is a difficult one given its unusual nature, but the tone here is all over the place. Instead of daring to experiment, Heller takes the conventional approach, which falls completely flat. The only reason you'll be going feral whilst watching Nightbitch is through sheer boredom.

In a year where bold releases such as The Substance have been crowd-pleasing hits, it's clear that audiences want their buttons to be pushed, which makes Nightbitch even more frustrating. How could they make a movie where Adams thinks that she’s turning into a dog be so dull? Maybe one day we will get an adaptation of Yoder's novel that has real bite but for now, Heller’s take will be forgotten in cinematic history. Alas, that's the real horror here.

Nightbitch is released in theaters on December 6. For more upcoming movies, check out our guide to 2024 movie release dates.