{"id":8087161,"date":"2026-09-30T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/?p=8087161"},"modified":"2026-09-29T07:27:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T14:27:10","slug":"verity-review-anne-hathaway-dakota-johnson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/creative-content\/reviews\/verity-review-anne-hathaway-dakota-johnson\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Verity’ Review: Anne Hathaway Flirts With Camp in Silly, Sexy and Overstuffed Adaptation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

The second Colleen Hoover adaptation in as many years is in theaters this weekend, but folks looking for a \u201cRegretting You<\/a>\u201d-style happy ending should gird their loins. \u201cVerity\u201d is a different kind of story entirely, focusing instead on a twisty, tawdry tale of two authors and their vaguely competent himbo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fastest way to describe director Michael Showalter\u2019s film adaptation is if the Marie Kondo \u201cI Love Mess\u201d meme met 2026\u2019s version of an erotic thriller. They ain\u2019t what they used to be, but it\u2019s nice to see any film try in our strangely sexless era of cinema. There does appear to be at least a level of self awareness when it comes to realizing that the sexiness of the film is necessary, as \u201cVerity\u201d relies on two things to succeed: the performances of its leads and how hot everyone is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anne Hathaway\u2019s Verity Crawford is an ailing author who needs a ghostwriter to finish her latest book; Dakota Johnson\u2019s Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling author about to lose her house; and Josh Hartnett’s Jeremy is just a boy who is in love with a girl, but also in love with this other girl, and also really does (actually) love his kids. The premise is very silly, and the execution often meets that energy even if it isn\u2019t meant to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, \u201cVerity\u201d is, on occasion, very hot.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tRead Next<\/strong>
\n\t\t\tDoes the Colleen Hoover Boom Have Staying Power?<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hathaway is playing Verity as what we\u2019ll call \u201ccamp light.\u201d She doesn\u2019t go full Grand High Witch<\/a> here, but she\u2019s doing the most in every scene we see her in. Specifically, there\u2019s a cadence to her voice that makes nearly everything seem disingenuous. Eventually, it becomes clear that her lack of sincerity is a choice meant to allude to certain deceptions, but in execution, it mostly just plays as distracting.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Hartnett’s \u201caw shucks\u201d energy serves him well here. Though, perhaps himbo was a bit of a misnomer \u2014 his kindness does come into question several times throughout the film. Regardless of the label, he\u2019ll keep you guessing about his motives until the very end. As for Johnson, she\u2019s had her sex appeal on full display for much of her filmography, and Showalter takes full advantage of the actress\u2019 comfort with her body. There\u2019s not much to Lowen, but that\u2019s kind of the point of the character.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems that the goal of \u201cVerity\u201d is to keep the audience guessing through the closing credits. It does accomplish its task but, with a runtime of nearly two hours, you have to wonder if it does so with one too many twists. Nick Antosca delivers a serviceable screenplay, but it\u2019s overstuffed with shock-and-awe that very rarely lands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Anne
Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett in “Verity” (Amazon MGM Studios)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Case in point: One of the best scenes of the film takes place in the first five minutes, featuring Lowen covered in someone else\u2019s blood after an unexpected (and very fatal) accident. It serves as a murderous meet-cute between her and Jeremy, but probably didn\u2019t need to go on as long as it did. That\u2019s the case for much of \u201cVerity,\u201d unfortunately.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cinematographer Jim Frohna \u2014 who has collaborated with Showalter in the past on \u201cThe Idea of You\u201d and several other films \u2014 <\/em>does shoot one pretty picture, though. The cinematography is intentionally over the top, but in a way that remains visually appealing throughout. It\u2019s rare to have a specific reason to call out a location manager in a review, but Elizabeth Krekel found one hell of a house for \u201cVerity.\u201d It doesn\u2019t just act as Frohna\u2019s playground, with mirrors, glass, contrasting architecture and a crap load of Vs playing throughout the structure; it also feels like a character in its own right thanks to production designer Amy Williams. The Crawfords\u2019 house is a prison, and \u201cVerity\u201d has no intention of telling you who it\u2019s keeping trapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The runtime of \u201cVerity\u201d is a significant barrier, and its screenplay thinks it\u2019s a bit too smart for its own good. The film has its feet in two worlds: one is a super serious psychological thriller that wants you to question your belief in the truth, and the other is a slightly campy, sexy, nonsense story that has no interest in the truth and just wants everyone to make out. Either one would have been great, but playing on both sides of the fence doesn\u2019t do Showalter\u2019s film any favors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, for all its issues, \u201cVerity\u201d feels like the perfect movie to put on with your girlfriends. It might not hold everyone\u2019s attention, but it\u2019s probably great fun to scream-laugh with as the absurdities unfold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, the film wants you to ask yourself whose reality is true. Did she do it? Did he? Are all of them bad? Was it Colonel Mustard with the candle stick?! I don\u2019t know that \u201cVerity\u201d is noteworthy enough to spark that continued conversation long after the credits roll, but you might have some fun along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVerity\u201d opens exclusively in theaters Oct. 2.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hathaway is a reclusive author, Josh Hartnett is her himbo hubby and Dakota Johnson is the sultry “other woman” in Colleen Hoover’s twisty story<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10066,"featured_media":8087171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":514020,"post_id":7895540}}]},"_links_to":"","_links_to_type":0,"nb_breaking_email_type":"fbc26c31-0bb2-4ce8-84ce-d208e907571d","nb_breaking_template":"single-story.html","nb_breaking_from_name":"TheWrap","nb_breaking_subject":"","nb_breaking_preview":"","nb_breaking_list":[],"nb_breaking_header_img":7555403,"nb_breaking_should_send":false,"nb_breaking_content":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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