'Speak No Evil' is Entertaining

When an American family accepts an invitation to the English countryside, things go off the rails, and their world is forever changed.

I had seen mixed reviews about Speak No Evil, so I was interested in checking this one out. And I had a good time with it. I haven’t yet seen the 2022 Danish film, but that is next on my list. I can’t wait to watch that one and compare. But, for now, let’s focus on this American version.

The stand out of this film is James McAvoy as Paddy. It seems like McAvoy is relishing this role, enjoying every twisted moment of this film. Every time he’s in the frame, even in the more normal moments, there is a bit of twistedness to his character that makes you uneasy. He is constantly pushing boundaries, putting others down, and making it clear that he’s not a safe person.

At the same time, Paddy and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) are a ton of fun. They seem to be very free-spirited and untethered to anything. It’s also clear pretty early on that their relationship is deeply toxic as they boomerang from one extreme to another.

These two characters are contrasted against Ben (Scoot McNairy) and Louise (Mackenzie Davis), who have a very different type of relationship. These two have been through a lot and are trying to figure out what they will do next in their marriage, their jobs, and their home. Their life is in flux, and then they come to this weekend in the countryside where they are launched into absolute madness.

An element that I appreciated about Speak No Evil is the emphasis on the importance of listening to women. Throughout the film, both Paddy and Ben ignore Louise. Though she is willing to speak her mind, she is constantly put down by these two different versions of toxic masculinity.

Paddy is obnoxiously loud with his hyper-masculinity. Throughout the film, he undermines Louise and constantly crosses boundaries. We learn early on that Louise is a vegetarian, which Paddy then pushes her about, asking her why she’s made that choice. Later, when Louise and Ben arrive at Paddy’s home, he serves goose for dinner the first night and tries to feed her a piece of the bird. It’s such a troubling violation of her personal boundaries, and you feel every ounce of her disgust.

But Paddy isn’t the only one who ignores Louise. She constantly advocates for herself to Ben, sharing her concerns with him. When things go wrong, she urges him that things aren’t right and they need to leave the house. But Ben just dismisses them out of hand, ignoring her intuition. It was so frustrating to see this woman constantly be belittled and her concerns dismissed by her partner. He is much more subtle than Paddy, but it’s still horrifying to watch.

This film is yet another reminder to listen to women… it’s really that simple.

Speak No Evil is an entertaining film about a family’s fight for survival. It boasts a great performance by McAvoy that’s supported by all of the other talented actors. The story is pretty straightforward but is interesting enough to keep you engaged throughout. It’s also a great reminder to listen to women and our intuition.