"Asking For It" confrontational and fiercely acted but superficial and not that shocking

Asking For It (2022)

If the quality of all movies was judged solely by the level of subtlety, “Asking For It” would completely miss the mark. But being abrasive and on-the-nose can make one heard, too. A brash, pissed-as-hell statement for the #MeToo zeitgeist through a vigilante rape-revenge exploitation pic, Eamon O’Rourke’s writing-directing feature debut wants to be incendiary and start a conversation, only to not accomplish that much in the end. Mostly, “Asking For It” is a screed made with over-directed excess and a terrific ensemble, beating you into submission with its persuasive mission statement.

Kiersey Clemons is the film’s heart as Joey, an Oklahoma twentysomething living in a Norman Rockwell-idyllic town with her grandparents and working as a waitress at a cafe. After a bonfire party with nice-guy friend Mike (Casey Cott), she wakes up to recall being sexually assaulted by him. Days pass and it affects her in her daily life at home and at work, making her zoned-out and jumpy. When one of Joey’s regular customers Regina (Alexandra Shipp) notices something is off, she invites Joey out, taking her through a gated piece of land in the middle of nowhere. It turns out to be a home of warm hospitality and female camaraderie, owned by Native American woman Fala (Casey Camp-Horinek). The backyard then extends to a wildly populated biker bar, packed beyond the appropriate occupancy with women of all sizes, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. But they all have one vigilante girl-gang goal—avenge their fellow sisters—and Joey’s life is about to change when she wants to join these cool, fearless women. Led by survivor/den mother Sal (Radha Mitchell), these Cherry Bombers set off to “clean up” the state with violence and destruction.

Well-cast and fiercely performed, “Asking For It” still leaves a lot of untapped potential with so many talented, diverse women assembled here. The female characters themselves end up amassing as one and running subordinate to their mission, particularly the takedown of the insidious Mark Vanderhill, played by an intentionally obnoxious and contemptible Ezra Miller. Tired of being emasculated by feminists and just anyone with a vagina, Vanderhill is the leader of an alpha-male, pro-gun, alt-right movement called Men’s First Movement (MFM), enabled by an old-racist police chief (an incredibly monstrous David Patrick Kelly). On the “Not All Men” spectrum lies Sheriff Vernon (Luke Hemsworth), Sal’s ex, and Cuzzo (Demetrius Shipp Jr.) and his gang of young men. Again, these women's stories of how they got to where they are now are only cursorily addressed but much more compelling, like Lily (Leslie Stratton), a former professional singer who was immolated by a stalker.

Like “Assassination Nation” and “Promising Young Woman” before it, “Asking For It” is confrontational and approaches righteous indignation with boldness and verve. This film might be divisive as well (and probably the most galling), but it’s far more superficial and less shocking than its predecessors. So much stylized editing is self-consciously frantic, flashing photos of a character when a new one gets introduced, and does sometimes get in its own way without advancing the story. By this film’s subtlety standards, one choice is an amusing blind-and-you’ll-miss-it detail: a drive-in movie theater marquee, pairing “Bambi” with “Thelma and Louise” and “Switchblade Sisters” (in case we weren’t clear about this film’s influences).

The down-to-earth Kiersey Clemons does handle Joey's story with sensitivity and guts, and she and the effortlessly magnetic Alexandra Shipp even get to be funny when Joey and Regina go “undercover” as two ditzy college girls to infiltrate a frat house. A badass Vanessa Hudgens gives all we really need to know about the edgy, independent-minded Beatrice, who’s not easy with newcomers and, in one great scene, tells off a cop by knowing her rights. Whatever she’s doing with a South Midland accent, an almost-maniacal smile, and laser eyes, Radha Mitchell is always interesting to watch as the forthright but enigmatic Sal. Gabourey Sidibe gets to show up in one scene but goes too quickly as Rudy, an insider for the Cherry Bombers. 

As intentions and execution can be vastly different, the film splits itself down the middle in terms of how successfully the intent is carried out. It seems like Eamon O’Rourke wants to do everything and say everything, dealing with Joey’s fallout of her sexual assault while scraping the surface of other survivors' stories, burning down the patriarchy and eliminating misogyny, and still showing the hypocrisy and consequences that come with revenge. There’s a lot of passion on the screen, and ideologically, "Asking For It" is noble and not hard to agree with what it's trying to sell. In execution, it’s flashy lip service that doesn't really make a name for itself.

Grade: C +

Saban Films is releasing “Asking For It” (101 min.) in select theaters and on digital/VOD on March 4, 2022.