If you’ve seen the trailer you get the concept: Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) gets a new boss who is an absolute %^$^!&*#.
The two go on a work trip and are involved in a horrific plane crash, with Linda having surprisingly good survival skills and her boss, Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) having close to none, the power dynamic flips on its head.
This movie stretches this concept as far as it can go and it is beautiful.
Linda’s survival skills are not a random plot device, they are established early on because she is a huge fan of the Survivor TV series.
She is lonely, keeps sandwiches loose in her desk drawer and is the hardest worker at her company, and is expecting a promotion.
When her new boss who inherited the company gives the promotion to a guy he knows from college she marches into his office to give him a piece of her mind.
She doesn’t get far into the conversation before she realizes it is not happening. Bradley does however, give her a “final chance” to prove her worth by accompanying him on a trip to close a deal.
When we come to the plane crash as seen in the trailer it has a fabulous mix of seriousness and comedy as the other men on the plane attempt to steal Linda’s seat because they were not strapped into theirs.
She stabs one with a fork and another’s tie gets stuck and chokes him as he flies outside the plane. For the first time in her life, Linda takes charge.
Linda survives the crash and saves Bradley from heatstroke as he, the only other survivor, is passed out on the beach.
After a couple days Bradley becomes conscious and his injuries are nursed by Linda. Bradley complains that she is not trying hard enough to get them saved.
Days turn into weeks as we begin to see Bradley’s point manifest.
The dynamic between Bradley and Linda is incredible. The two actors play off one another in a game of cat and mouse.
Bradley makes plays for power in a situation where he has no control.
Linda increasingly asserts herself over him revealing more about her inner turmoil. You love to hate Bradley with his snarky remarks but pathetic position.
Neither of the main characters are particularly good people, but it is easy to root for a woman with high intelligence and propensity for torturing horrible men.
The film climaxes excellently with murder, betrayal, and a whole lot of campy fun.
8/10
