Drop
Blind dates can be a real nightmare
Meghann Fahy is on the date from hell in Drop.
Widow Violet (Meghann Fahy) isn’t keen to get back on the dating scene. She’s still traumatized from her past abuse and trying to create the most stable home possible for her son, Toby (Jacob Robinson). Her sister, Jen (Violett Beane), pushes her to get out there and find a man to share her life with. Violet is dubious, but knows not all men are monsters.
When Henry (Brandon Sklenar) messages her on a dating app, Violet is tempted to try her hand at love again. She calls Jen to babysit, has a quick pep talk with Toby, and sets out to have her first date in a very long time. She’s nervous, but optimistic.
Unfortunately for Violet, the date is going to be awful. It’s not Henry’s fault. He’s sweet, engaging, and very gentle when Violet explains her trauma. No, the problem here is Violet’s phone. She keeps getting airdrops from a nearby phone telling her to kill her date. If she doesn’t, the men who’ve just broken into her house will kill Jen and Toby.
Will Violet kill Henry to save her family? Who wants Henry dead? Is there any way this date could get worse?
Styled like a ‘90s thriller you’d watch on basic cable on a rainy Sunday, there’s something almost nostalgic about Drop. Director Christopher Landon usually likes to blend genres (as he did with Freaky and Happy Death Day), but in Drop, he plays it fairly straight. The result is good, but lacking the sublime lunacy that makes his movies special.
Everything in Drop feels familiar, from the very obvious baddie to the resolution of the conundrum. There aren’t any real surprises in the film, and the final action sequence feels a little too convenient for the plot. Still, Landon manages to make a thriller that isn’t a slog, even if it’s entirely predictable.
A lot of that comes down to good casting. Fahy is incredibly relatable as a traumatized woman just hoping to find a normal life. She’s kind and funny, but when pressed, she’s also resourceful and smart. Violet is determined to do the right thing, she just needs to figure out how to thwart the bad guys.
Sklenar is making a bit of a name for himself as the man who woos women formerly in abusive relationships. Like his role in It Ends with Us, Sklenar’s Henry is sweet and understanding as he watches Violet exhibit some, frankly, extremely weird behavior. He’s not trying to press her, he only wants to have a good night with a lady he found interesting. He develops a good chemistry with Fahy, and you’re rooting for them to survive the night and maybe even grab a second date.
Though Drop is entirely predictable, it was a fun watch. I don’t know that I would recommend paying to see it in theaters, but it’s definitely worth a watch when it hits your favorite streaming platform.
Verdict: While not quite the genre-bending triumph of his past works, this is a serviceable 90s-style thriller.
Drop is rated PG-13 and is available in theaters April 11.
