Movie Review: To the Bone

Netflix's journey into the world of original hasn't exactly been a rousing success thus far. Since they launched their scripted film division in the fall of 2015, they've only had three projects (Beasts of No Nation, Okja and 2017 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Winner I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore) generate any sort of notable buzz among critics and audiences. To the Bone, which is the fourth Sundance acquisition to premiere on Netflix this year, is yet another flawed albeit watchable entry into the streaming juggernaut's middling library of original films.

As the first film in recent memory that was brave enough to tackle the subject of eating disorders, it's hard to not look at To the Bone as somewhat of a missed opportunity. Every glimpse that writer/director Marti Moxon (I Am Number Four, the 2011 remake of Fright Night) provides into the mindset of the people that are dealing with anorexia is largely undercut by the story's frequent descents into cheap, tearjerker territory. This reliance on forced melodrama is especially disappointing given the fact that Moxon and star Lily Collins have battled eating disorders in the past. Both of these women have the firsthand experience required to tell a poignant story about this condition that quietly effects millions of people around the world, but for some inexplicable reason, they largely bypass diving into this underexplored topic by making a film that favors inorganic, Nicolas Sparks-esque weepy emotional conflict over raw realism. While Moxon's intentions were 110% in the right place, a majority of To the Bone was too contrived to resonate with me.

The impersonal ridiculousness that sinks To the Bone's narrative is offset (to an extent) by the excellent acting delivered from some of the cast's key players. Collins gives the clear standout performance of her up-and-down career to-date as Ellen, the film's cynical, self-aware protagonist. Even when the story veers into full-blown soap opera territory in the final half-hour, Collins makes Ellen magnetic and emphatic enough to rise above the hokey trash that's going on around her. Hopefully this impressive turn will result in the 28-year old getting some better scripts thrown her way in the future.

Keanu Reeves also shines as the "unorthodox" doctor who runs the group home Ellen checks into early on in the film. Reeves prevents the character from being an insufferable hippie douche by beautifully juxtaposing compassion with a straight-shooting, no bullshit-attitude. It's a really remarkable piece of work from a guy that's been regularly accused of having no emotional range during his 25+ years in Hollywood.

To the Bone is a terrific example of why admirable intentions aren't enough to make a movie great. Despite her immense respect for the subject matter, Moxon's film lacks the grounded realism, soul-bearing insight and emotional resonance that drives every effective low-key human drama. I'm fairly confident that someone will come along and make a poignant film about the struggles of living with with and/or overcoming an eating disorder, but unfortunately To the Bone isn't it.

3/5 Stars