Looks That Kill (film)
| Looks That Kill | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Kellen Moore |
| Written by | Kellen Moore |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Damian Horan |
| Edited by | Spencer Houck |
| Music by | Dean Hurley |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Gravitas Ventures |
Release date |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Looks That Kill is a 2020 American dark romantic comedy written and directed by Kellen Moore. The film stars Brandon Flynn, Julia Goldani Telles, Peter Scolari (In his final film role before his death in 2021) and Ki Hong Lee.
The film was released digitally on June 19, 2020.
Plot
The story is of sixteen-year-old Max, who has a strange condition: a face so angelic it can be lethal. He is constantly alone until he meets Alex, a girl with her own bizarre ailment who aids him on his quest of self-destruction, without accidentally killing anyone by showing his face. Alex suffers from a rare heart disease that causes her heart to grow if she feels any emotion (happiness-anger-sorrow-jealousy), because it can't process them.
The two meet after he accidentally kills his latest therapist with his face. Max wants to jump off a bridge to kill himself, but Alex talks him out of it by saying, "You jump, I'll jump." He pursues her, and a week-long search leads him to her bus stop.
They have an adventure of young love, with Alex even taking him to a place she has never showed anyone else; the retirement home she volunteers at. One friend of hers who resides at the home, Esther, is writing a novel of her descent into Alzheimer's.
Their romance begins to weaken after they accidentally crash a school dance where some bullies tear Max's mask off and kill his best friend's latest girlfriend.
He gets arrested but is bailed out, and spends Alex's last days with her because her heart starts failing due to her refusal to continue taking her medication.
After she dies he becomes an angel of death, granting euthanasia to all who request it.
Cast
- Brandon Flynn as Max
- Julia Goldani Telles as Alex
- Ki Hong Lee as Dan
- Annie Mumolo as Jan
- Peter Scolari as Paul
- Priscilla Lopez as Mary
- Monique Kim as Yu Shen
- Susan Berger as Rosemary
Production
In March 2018, Brandon Flynn, Julia Goldani Telles and Ki Hong Lee were cast in leads roles in the film, with a directorial debut from Kellen Moore, who also penned the screenplay.[2]
Release
In April 2020, it was announced Gravitas Ventures had acquired distribution rights to the film, setting a June 19 digital release for the film amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] It was made available through video on demand platforms, including Amazon and iTunes.[4]
Reception
Critical response
Liz Braun of AWFJ.org wrote "Looks That Kill begins as a dark comedy, evolves into a romantic teen fable, and suddenly veers off into euthanasia territory. Kind of a tone whiplash situation, but a YA audience will probably find lots to like regardless."[5] Lisa Payne of RedCarpetCrash.com said the film had "an interesting premise that didn't really go anywhere".[6] Gwen Ihnat of The A.V. Club called it "a quirky take on the teen ailment drama".[7]
References
- ^ "Films". American High. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- ^ Amanda N'Duka. "Brandon Flynn, Julia Goldani Telles, Ki Hong Lee In 'Looks That Kill'". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Gravitas Ventures Acquires 'Looks That Kill'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ "When is Looks that Kill starring Brandon Flynn released? What is it about?". Radio Times. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- ^ https://awfj.org/blog/2020/06/20/looks-that-kill-review-by-liz-braun/?doing_wp_cron=1594106451.7738618850708007812500
- ^ https://redcarpetcrash.com/movie-review-looks-that-kill/
- ^ "Looks That Kill trailer offers quirky take on the teen ailment drama".