Fair Play (2023)

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.firstshowing.net/2023/review-chloe-domonts-fair-play-poignantly-tackles-gender-politics/
"Fair Play is an emotionally charged exploration of love, ambition, and gender dynamics. Chloe Domont thoughtfully addresses these themes, highlighting biases faced by successful women, the personal challenges of couples working in the same space, and the inevitable vulnerabilities that arise from these scenarios.
The dedicated performances from Phoebe Dyvenor and Alden Ehrenreich make it a gripping viewing experience, emphasizing the film's thought-provoking messages about gender politics and seeking equal recognition based on merit rather than gender.
The dramatic conclusion warrants heated debate…"
Rating: A-

It’s amazing how one film can be predictable, implausible and preposterous all at the same time, but writer-director Chloe Domont’s debut feature manages to pull off this trifecta of lamentable attributes with remarkable ease. This alleged psychological thriller goes from bad to worse as its plot hole-filled story degenerates from a boring, clandestine office romance into an over-the-top envy-driven battle of egos when one partner unexpectedly gets promoted over the other at a prestigious Wall Street firm. The way in which this unfolds, though, is largely laughable, despite an underlying message that has some noteworthy merit (even if it’s a bit trite in this day and age). The picture might be more worth watching if the two protagonists (Phoebe Dynevor, Alden Ehrenreich) weren’t so inherently deplorable and portrayed with some of the hammiest on-screen acting I’ve seen in a long time. This is all made worse by one of the most awful scripts I’ve come across in a while, with almost as much tawdry, needlessly foul language since “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013). Put these qualities together and you’ve got an absolute work of utter trash that makes the prime time soap operas of the 1980s look like epic storytelling. Indeed, as far as how this one plays, all I can say is “No fair.”