''Luckiest Girl Alive'' is a 2022
mystery
Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
*Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange''
Films
* ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film
* ''Mystery'' ( ...
thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
directed by
Mike Barker from a screenplay by Jessica Knoll, based on her 2015
novel of the same name. The film stars
Mila Kunis
Milena Markovna "Mila" Kunis (born August 14, 1983) is an American actress. Born in Chernivtsi and raised in Los Angeles, she began playing Jackie Burkhart on the Fox television series ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006) at the age of 14. Since ...
,
Finn Wittrock
Peter L. Wittrock Jr. (born October 28, 1984), known as Finn Wittrock, is an US actor and screenwriter who began his career in guest roles on several television shows. He made his film debut in 2004, in ''Halloweentown High'' before returning to f ...
,
Scoot McNairy
John Marcus "Scoot" McNairy (born November 11, 1977) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his roles in '' Monsters'', '' Argo'', ''Killing Them Softly'', ''12 Years a Slave'', '' Gone Girl'', and '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of ...
,
Chiara Aurelia,
Justine Lupe
Justine Lupe-Schomp is an American actress. She is known for her roles on ''Mr. Mercedes'', ''Succession'', '' Cristela'', and '' The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel''.
Early life
Lupe grew up in Denver, Colorado. She is a 2007 graduate of Denver School o ...
,
Thomas Barbusca
Thomas Barbusca is an American actor. He is known for portraying Chip Pemberton, one of the three kids on the television sitcom '' The Mick''. He also starred in the film '' Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life'' and plays Drew, the camp ...
,
Jennifer Beals
Jennifer Beals (born December 19, 1963) is an American actress and former teen model. She made her film debut in '' My Bodyguard'' (1980), before receiving critical acclaim for her role in ''Flashdance'' (1983), for which she won NAACP Image A ...
, and
Connie Britton
Constance Elaine Britton ( Womack; born March 6, 1967) is an American actress. Britton made her feature film debut in the independent comedy-drama film '' The Brothers McMullen'' (1995), and the following year, she was cast as Nikki Faber on th ...
.
''Luckiest Girl Alive'' was released in
select cinemas on September 30, 2022, before its streaming release on October 7, 2022, by
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
.
Plot
In 2015, 35-year-old TifAni "Ani" FaNelli, a respected New York women's magazine editor, appears to have a picture-perfect life. As she prepares to marry her boyfriend, Luke Harrison, Ani meets with Aaron Wickersham, a documentary director who wants to make a short film about the school shooting she survived as a teenager. He informs her that a former classmate, Dean Barton, who went on to become a successful writer and advocate for gun control, has agreed to take part. Ani declines to be involved.
Luke informs Ani that his firm has offered him an opportunity to move to London and suggests Ani can take an
MFA program there to allow her to write for herself. She agrees, despite having hopes of someday working at ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''. They later have dinner with a couple Luke knows; the husband turns out to be Ani's former teacher, Andrew Larson.
In flashbacks to 1999, Ani is seen joining the prestigious Brentley School, where she quickly befriends a clique of popular students, including Dean and his friends Liam and Peyton. Over the course of the film, it is revealed that Ani was gang-raped at a party by all three boys while intoxicated. She shared what happened with Mr. Larson, who encouraged her to tell her eccentric mother, Dina, but Ani refused. However, she told her friend Arthur, who had been continuously bullied by the three boys.
Ani's past slowly starts to haunt her, which begins to affect her relationship with Luke. Aaron tells Ani that Dean wants to meet with her to apologize on camera; she agrees, under the condition that Aaron keeps them separate until she is ready. Meanwhile, Ani struggles with her strained relationship with Dina, who claims she always found Ani difficult and alludes that she is only marrying Luke for his money.
At the documentary filming, Dean shows up unexpectedly early and Ani flees in a panic. Flashbacks see young Ani struggling to deal with the trauma of what happened to her, and not long after, the school shooting took place, perpetrated by Arthur and his friend Ben. Peyton and Liam were killed, and Dean was wounded severely and left unable to walk. Prior to the funerals, Dean started a rumor that Ani slept with him and helped Arthur and Ben plan the shooting because he did not want to be her boyfriend. Ani is consequently shunned by everyone, including Dina, who blamed her for causing her own rape by drinking and partying excessively.
Back in 2015, at the publishing of his new book, Ani meets with Dean, who shows little remorse for what he did and threatens to recapitulate his story of her participation in the shooting if she tells anyone. However, after being confronted by Ani during the conversation, Dean admits he raped her. Having secretly recorded their conversation, Ani leaves. She decides to share her experience after encouragement from her boss and ends up writing a piece for ''The New York Times''.
At their rehearsal dinner, Ani receives the final article, which is about to be published, much to Luke's dismay, who says he wishes she had dealt with it privately. Ani then confesses she has been using him to hide from her past and decides not to marry him. Ani finally begins to move on; she receives an overwhelming reaction from other women who tell her their stories of sexual assault, as she begins her career at ''The New York Times''.
Cast
Production
In August 2015, it was announced
Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...
had acquired film rights to ''
Luckiest Girl Alive'' by Jessica Knoll, with
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...
set to produce under her
Pacific Standard banner. It was scrapped, however, due to scheduling conflicts and poor budgeting. In February 2021, it was announced the film would be happening with
Mila Kunis
Milena Markovna "Mila" Kunis (born August 14, 1983) is an American actress. Born in Chernivtsi and raised in Los Angeles, she began playing Jackie Burkhart on the Fox television series ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006) at the age of 14. Since ...
starring and
Mike Barker set to direct.
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
was to distribute. In July 2021,
Finn Wittrock
Peter L. Wittrock Jr. (born October 28, 1984), known as Finn Wittrock, is an US actor and screenwriter who began his career in guest roles on several television shows. He made his film debut in 2004, in ''Halloweentown High'' before returning to f ...
,
Scoot McNairy
John Marcus "Scoot" McNairy (born November 11, 1977) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his roles in '' Monsters'', '' Argo'', ''Killing Them Softly'', ''12 Years a Slave'', '' Gone Girl'', and '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of ...
,
Chiara Aurelia,
Thomas Barbusca
Thomas Barbusca is an American actor. He is known for portraying Chip Pemberton, one of the three kids on the television sitcom '' The Mick''. He also starred in the film '' Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life'' and plays Drew, the camp ...
,
Justine Lupe
Justine Lupe-Schomp is an American actress. She is known for her roles on ''Mr. Mercedes'', ''Succession'', '' Cristela'', and '' The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel''.
Early life
Lupe grew up in Denver, Colorado. She is a 2007 graduate of Denver School o ...
, Dalmar Abuzied, Alex Barone,
Carson MacCormac,
Jennifer Beals
Jennifer Beals (born December 19, 1963) is an American actress and former teen model. She made her film debut in '' My Bodyguard'' (1980), before receiving critical acclaim for her role in ''Flashdance'' (1983), for which she won NAACP Image A ...
, and
Connie Britton
Constance Elaine Britton ( Womack; born March 6, 1967) is an American actress. Britton made her feature film debut in the independent comedy-drama film '' The Brothers McMullen'' (1995), and the following year, she was cast as Nikki Faber on th ...
joined the cast.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
began June 2021 in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
, Canada, and ended in September 2021 in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, USA.
Release
''Luckiest Girl Alive'' was released in
select cinemas on September 30, 2022, before its streaming release on October 7, 2022, by
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
.
Reception
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Mike Barker
2022 thriller films
2020s American films
2020s Australian films
2020s English-language films
2020s mystery thriller films
American mystery thriller films
Australian mystery thriller films
English-language Netflix original films
Films about rape in the United States
Films about school violence
Films based on American novels
Films based on mystery novels
Films directed by Mike Barker
Films set in 1999
Films set in 2015
Films set in New York City
Films shot in New York City
Films shot in Toronto
Made Up Stories films
Works about magazine publishing