Skincare

by Mike McGranaghan

The business of beauty can get incredibly ugly. That’s the theme of Skincare, a darkly comedic thriller set in the world of facials, microdermabrasion, and chemical peels. It’s a world Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks) thrives in. Her Los Angeles salon has brought fame and success into her life. Now she’s rolling out a new line of products, a venture that has her slightly cash-strapped and more than a little stressed out. She’s not above flirting with local TV host Brett Wright (Nathan Fillion) to get good placement on his show.

Hope’s world starts to crumble when Angel Vergara (Luis Gerardo Méndez) opens his own stylish salon mere feet away from hers. Soon afterward, someone hacks her email, sending all her clients a provocative message. Assuming Angel is trying to drive her out of business, she teams up with self-described life coach Jordan (Lewis Pullman) to mark her territory. The more successful her competitor becomes, the more unglued Hope gets.

Skincare is loosely based on the story of Dawn DaLuise, a celebrity facialist who was arrested in 2014 for trying to hire a hitman to kill a business rival. Depending on how you look at it, the story is either downright scary or weirdly funny. The movie taps into that double-sided quality. On one hand, it shows Hope driving herself to a point of madness, even being willing to resort to violence. On the other, it firmly establishes the absurdity of becoming murderous over creams and lotions. You laugh at her arrogance one minute, then get a chill from how far she’s willing to take her grudge the next.

I’m hard-pressed to think of anybody who could pull this off the way Elizabeth Banks does. The actress was made for this role. She’s likeable enough that you care about Hope even at her worst. Her comedic chops are firmly established, yet she has dramatic range, too. Banks sells the idea that this woman is going completely off her rocker. More than that, she helps us understand a motivation that’s there without ever being outright spoken: Hope’s business is her entire life, so if it crumbles, nothing is left.

The film has a significant third act plot development that observant viewers will figure out in advance. It introduces a series of questions, a few of which aren’t entirely answered in a satisfactory manner. Skincare’s screenplay could have filled in those gaps better, or at least set up the scenario in a more original way. What prevents the last act from sinking is that the revelation echoes Hope’s desperation. Even if it’s wobbly on a narrative level, it’s logical thematically.

Beyond that minor flaw, Skincare is a twisted treat. Music video director Austin Peters, making his feature debut, paces the story nicely and gives it a smooth, glossy look that takes on twinges of darkness as the plot progresses. He’s also got a heck of leading lady in Elizabeth Banks, a performer who grabs this role by the horns and runs with it.

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