Becky

Directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion, Becky follows the title character (Lulu Wilson) as she’s forced to spring into action after her father (Joel McHale’s Jeff) is murdered by an escaped prisoner (Kevin James’ Dominick) and his cohorts. It’s an inherently promising setup that’s employed to sporadically watchable yet predominantly disappointing effect by Milott and Murnion, as the filmmakers, working from a script by Ruckus Skye, Lane Skye, Nick Morris, delivers a perpetually hit-and-miss endeavor that remains unable to wholeheartedly capture the viewer’s interest and attention – with the arms-length atmosphere compounded by a seriously weak opening stretch focused on Wilson’s eye-rollingly sullen and moody character. And while certain portions of the movie’s midsection admittedly manage to make a positive impact, particularly as the emphasis is periodically placed on James’ gleefully vicious Dominick, Becky is, for the most part, thwarted by Milott and Murnion’s decision to suffuse the proceedings with a host of grating, unpleasant elements and attributes – including Greta Zozula’s bland visuals, Nima Fakhrara’s nails-on-a-chalkboard score, and the recurring mistreatment of the picture’s two dogs. By the time the dimly-lit and anticlimactic third act rolls around, Becky has certainly cemented its place as a missed opportunity that generally feels like it should be much, much better.

** out of ****