In the Tall Grass (2019) Review

"It's just flesh.  And all flesh is grass."
-Ross Humboldt



While on a road trip, siblings Becky (Laysla De Oliveira) and Cal (Avery Whitted) hear a boy calling for help from a field of tall grass.  They enter the field and quickly find themselves lost in a place where time and space aren't behaving normally.  And they aren't the only ones in the field...


What Works:

I love how paradoxical this story is.  This film explores the concepts of time and having characters doing the same thing over and over again.  I'm always fascinated with stories like this.  It's a really interesting element and it's handled well by the film.  I also really appreciated that this element is introduced fairly early.  I could see the filmmakers trying to have this be a big reveal near the end of the movie, but I'm glad they didn't go that direction.  It's a more unique tale this way.

I really enjoyed Patrick Wilson in this role.  I always love Patrick Wilson, but I especially like when he gets to play villainous characters.  He's delightfully unhinged here and is a lot of fun.  He's a great antagonist.

About 90+% of the film takes place in the grass field.  I was expecting that this might get pretty repetitive, but it never did for me.  The interesting uses of time and space kept it from getting stagnant and the setting remained creepy throughout the film.

Finally, I rarely think kid actors are any good, but I enjoyed Will Buie Jr.'s performance as Tobin.  He has a wide range of emotions throughout the film and is convincing in all of them.  I especially loved his role in trying to stop Becky and Cal from entering the field.  He's very good and adds a lot of tension to the scene.


What Sucks:

The strained relationships between Becky, Cal, and Travis (Harrison Gilbertson) felt pretty forced.  It wasn't set up well in the early stage of the film and when the conflict between them finally come to the forefront, it feels a bit out of left field.  It also seems like a very inopportune time to bring this stuff up.  You guys are fighting for survival, squash your beef later.

Finally, I wish the Humboldt family dynamic had been better developed.  While both Ross and Tobin are great characters, we never see much of them acting as a family.  If we had seen that, it would make Ross' spiral into insanity that much more tragic.  We also barely see Natalie (Rachel Wilson) in the film at all and we could have used more of her.


Verdict:

In the Tall Grass is a very fun movie with a great concept, interesting elements, and fun performances from both Patrick Wilson and Will Buie Jr.  I wish all of the characters had been better developed, but I still say this movie has got it going on.

 8/10: Really Good 


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