‘Send Help’ Review: No help needed to enjoy this thriller
When Linda (Rachel McAdams) first graces the screen, you can’t help but dislike her. She’s messy, disorganized, and seemingly unaware of how her co-workers and management perceive her. The film starts with an uphill battle - can we really be convinced that Rachel McAdams is repulsive?
The answer is yes, we can. Although it’s hard to look past her flaws, Linda’s charm comes from her taking care of others to her own detriment. She creates the reports, runs the numbers and keeps business needs aligned while others take the credit. This speaks to a truth that many in corporate careers can attest to - sometimes you’re just the worker bee instead of the queen bee.
When Send Help really begins, the dynamic between Linda and her boss Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) is flipped and we get to see more of Linda’s redeeming qualities. She can survive in harsh conditions. She can find clean water, food and shelter. Bradley struggles to adapt, in part due to his injury but mostly his inexperience and sheltered life. This dynamic challenges that corporate structure - are the decision makers capable of running things themselves? In this case, Bradley is not equipped. He’s not able to fire Linda due to her workload and importance to the company, and he’s not able to take charge after being stranded on the island.
The movie excels in the third act - after a twist that’s kept secret from the viewers, we learn that there is a luxury home on the island. Perhaps this is where Linda got all of her exotic sushi and seafood, and maybe even clean water. I was left wondering if this was indeed the actions a sane person would take. Would a sane person hide this from their fellow survivor? Would they withhold food and comfort? Would a sane person deny rescue in order to live out their fantasy of being stranded on an island?
McAdams excels when you begin to doubt who you should root for. Are you team Linda, who has been mistreated in her corporate career, but has found herself on the island? Or are you team Bradley, who, despite his flaws, doesn’t really deserve to be trapped on this island, his fiance murdered and his life taken from him?
In the end, the choice is yours. Both McAdams and O’Brien give you enough to root for or against, making Send Help a thrilling and fun ride.