The film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s “Verity” released Friday, marking Hoover’s fourth book-to-movie adaptation. Hoover wrote and published the novel in 2018, and it went on to become a No. 1 New York Times bestseller and a favorite on “BookTok” — a popular side of TikTok where users discuss books. The adaptation is directed by Michael Showalter, and follows a struggling writer named Lowen Ashleigh — played by Dakota Johnson — who is hired by Jeremy Crawford — Josh Hartnett — to complete the remaining books in a series written by his wife. Anne Hathaway stars as Verity, Jeremy’s Wife who has suffered from a mysterious accident.
With a house in rural Vermont, a disturbing manuscript and a love triangle, “Verity” has the ingredients for an engaging psychological thriller. However, while these elements provide moments of entertainment, the film’s rushed relationships and reliance on dramatic jump scares prevent it from developing the kind of suspense that keeps a viewer glued to their seat. The result is a film worth watching for those simply looking to pass time at the theater, though viewers hoping for a compelling psychological thriller should keep their expectations fairly low.
The film opens in New York City, where Lowen witnesses a pedestrian being hit and killed by a car, leaving her face splattered with blood. In the midst of the chaos, the classic meet-cute happens as Jeremy stops to ask if she is okay and escorts Lowen into a bathroom, where he helps her clean up and gives her his white button-down shirt. The coincidences continue shortly afterward when Lowen arrives at her business meeting, only to discover that the man hiring her to finish his wife Verity’s novels is Jeremy himself. While the encounter provides a dramatic introduction, the string of coincidences makes their connection feel overly orchestrated, establishing a relationship that the film continues to advance without much emotional buildup.
After accepting the assignment, Lowen travels to the Crawfords’ home in rural Vermont to review Verity’s papers and prepare to finish her series. Since her accident, Verity has been left seemingly unable to speak or move, making Lowen’s introduction to the author especially uncomfortable. The large, snow-covered house establishes an appropriately eerie atmosphere, heightened by revelations about the family’s loss of their eight-year-old daughter. However, when Lowen discovers Verity’s autobiographical manuscript, the film begins to border on absurdity.
As Lowen reads, the film alternates between the present and scenes from Verity’s past, accompanied by Verity narrating her thoughts on marriage and motherhood. Rather than slowly revealing something disturbing beneath an ordinary family life, these accounts make her resentment toward her children almost comically explicit. In one scene, she describes accepting motherhood as a personal hell, stating that she only pretends to love her children. While the sentiment is horrifying, Hathaway’s awkwardly blunt deliveries makes it difficult to take seriously.
The film’s jump scares take a similarly unsubtle approach, for example, a scene where Verity suddenly turns and looks directly at Lowen, accompanied by a burst of jolting music. The moment produces an immediate reaction, but does little to establish tension that lasts afterward. Thunderstorms and an ominous tune continue to signal danger throughout Lowen’s stay, as though the house, the mysterious accident and the manuscript have not already made the situation sufficiently jarring. These devices keep the film eventful, but they fail to fully absorb the viewer.
Meanwhile, Lowen and Jeremy’s romance unfolds through a series of convenient coincidences and clichés, making their growing intimacy feel contrived rather than convincing. With predictable emotional buildup and little chemistry, the relationship becomes easily predictable, further weakening the film’s overall suspense.
Johnson’s frequently monotone delivery makes moments in the film hard to follow, as her reactions offer limited variation between fear, attraction and suspicion, leaving Lowen's growing investment in the family difficult to understand. Instead of building character development and improving delivery, the film’s writing often prioritizes familiarity, with pop culture references to “Call Her Daddy,” Juul and “Hot Ones.” While these inclusions seem intended to make the film feel current, they are likely to prompt an eye roll rather than make the characters feel relatable.
“Verity” is entertaining in moments, particularly when its dialogue becomes so outrageous that disbelief gives way to amusement. Yet these moments do little to compensate for characters’ lack of emotional depth and the rushed pacing that ultimately tarnishes the suspense. Ultimately, “Verity” may leave viewers with more questions about its storytelling choices rather than the psychologically thrilling mystery that the plot is supposedly centered around.
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