Amy Adams' latest endeavor puts her in the shoes, and paws, of an artist-turned-stay-at-home mom who also happens to turn into a four-legged canine sometimes.Nightbitchreleases today, December 6, and the reviews are piling in.The mixed response to the unique horror-comedy has resulted in a 60% score onRotten Tomatoes.With the book the film is based on,Nightbitchby Rachel Yoder, also receiving mixed reviews upon its release in 2021, the story seems to be a fairly divisive one in general.
The magical realism-style story about a mom who transforms into a dog every so oftenjusthit theaters following its previous screening at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. While many praise Adams for her performance and director Marielle Heller for her expertise, the film still seems to fall flat for some viewers. In her review forThe Washington Post, film critic Jen Yamato gaveNightbitcha 2/4, writing, “It’s too bad that the premise hints at more of a horror twist than the movie actually delivers.”
Some say that the book was more bold than the adaptation dared to be, while others love the project entirely. In her positive review forTime Out, Georgia Evans writes, “The film thrives when it makes painfully accurate – and darkly comedic – observations on motherhood.” That said, Evans continues, “you can’t help but wish it dug a little deeper into the devaluation of women once they become parents, rather than just holding a mirror.
‘Nightbitch’ Director Marielle Heller “Spent a Long Time” Finding the Right Dog to Play Amy Adams
The upcoming film ‘Nightbitch’ stars Amy Adams as a stay-at-home mom who believes she’s turning into a dog.
Amy Adams' Performance Carries ‘Nightbitch’
Meanwhile, moviegoers took to Letterboxd to share their thoughts and feelings aboutNightbitch.There’s one thing they all seem to agree on: the quality of Adams' daring performance.
Adams' performance has gained critical acclaim, but it doesn’t seem to be enough for some viewers. Letterboxd userJosh Lewismentioned that the message seemed too sentimental for the body horror film:
“Adams is doing good work, Heller knows how to put a solid movie together, and it even has a few provocative and challenging ideas regarding motherhood as this violently transformative mythological experience that to be honest required a lot more commitment to its brief moments of ugly feral (borderline) body horror. But it became increasingly and disappointingly clear as it went on that this was perfectly content to articulate them almost entirely in sentimental “I am woman, hear me roar” NYT best-seller dramedy terms. Your mom will really like it”
ReviewerTheMoomAbidesgave the film five stars and a heart, raving aboutthe actress’s intense performance, which even scared the dogs on set.
“Cynicism dominates too many films. So watching the new horror metaphor comedy Nightbitch, I was taken by its raw vulnerability and affection for its main unnamed mother played by Amy Adams in a career defining performance. Here’s a film in a raw unstructured form begging to be more than traditional family comedies, and like our protagonist, succeeds greatly.”
On his Letterboxd, professional criticMatt Singerdidn’t have much to say specifically about the film, but gave credence to its depiction of motherhood and the surprising ways in which transforms the body:
“When my wife gave birth to our first daughter, it fixed her eyesight. She literally stopped wearing her glasses. When she had our second kid, her vision got blurry again. She also became lactose intolerant for the first time in her life. Years later, she still can’t eat cheese. It used to be her favorite food.
Anyway,Nightbitch.”
Nightbitch
A suburban mother struggles with the isolation of stay-at-home life while raising her young son. As she begins to embrace her primal instincts, she experiences strange transformations, leading her to question whether she’s losing her mind or becoming something altogether different—something feral and dangerous.
