Wizard-8 Review of Careful What You Wish For

Careful What You Wish For (2015)

Noir update lacks sizzle and originality

[29 April 2017]

If you are a film buff and have read the plot description for "Careful What You Wish For", most likely you have concluded that it is an update of the noir movies made in the 1940s and 1950s, and you would be correct. It updates with technology (DNA, cell phones, etc.) and is more explicit in some areas, such as with nudity (though it's easy to see that all the nudity was performed by body doubles.) However, the filmmakers didn't make the crucial decision to update the basic story for the most part. Even if you haven't seen a great many noir style thrillers, you'll be able to predict A LOT of what will happen in this particular one before it actually unfolds. There is an okay twist at the very end, but it seems too little and too late for the audience. I will admit that Nick Jonas wasn't too bad in his role, but he is saddled with playing a character that's quite stupid at times even for a horny teenager. The movie could have been a lot worse, I admit, but if you want to see a modern update of the noir genre, watch "Body Heat" or "The Hot Spot" instead.