Screenwriters and movie lovers have likely caught wind of the premise for Promising Young Woman by now. It’s the buzziest release of 2021 so far, with the Oscar® rumor mill churning for star Carey Mulligan who plays protagonist Cassie; a young woman with an interesting hobby. She likes to spend her weekends luring men in bars by pretending to be drunk, letting them take her home, and then calling them out on attempted (and sometimes full-on) sexual assault before they make a move that might ruin their life — while scaring them shitless. Cassie has a good reason for this hobby, and that leads into 5 screenwriting takeaways for Promising Young Woman.

And yes, spoilers below, so go watch the movie already (please, especially if you're a man). 

1. The Power of Backstory.  Cassie comes by her revenge honestly. As the movie progresses, the audience is slowly clued into the tragedy that brought Cassie to today: Her best friend, Nina, was sexually assaulted while they were in med school together. Nina’s case was clearly swept under the rug by all those around them who could’ve helped — including med school friends and the Dean of the school. No one was there for Nina, or for Cassie, and no one quite seems to understand Cassie in her present day state of perpetual PTSD now manifesting as female rage. Cassie dropped out of school to take care of Nina until Nina’s eventual demise. Writer-director Emerald Fennell is wise to only offer the audience snippets of who this person was in Cassie’s past. Nina becomes a martyr for Cassie, and by not seeing her or being able to ever pass a judgement upon her, her absence in Cassie’s life is felt all the stronger. 

2. Subversion of the Revenge Thriller.  Promising Young Woman has notes of Hard Candy and Basic Instinct. Perhaps its revenge thriller tropes is what this genre-bending movie embraces the most. There is no samurai sword or double-barrelled shotgun here, but there is Cassie’s perfect body and very pretty face. Each one of her marks she picks up in bars and clubs utters the same version of a come-on into an ear they think is too drunk for a comeback: “You’re so beautiful.” While Cassie does have specific marks (whom she keeps track of in perfect alternating blue and red hash marks in a cute little notebook), she also takes pleasure in the simple idea of bringing any anonymous man down a peg. The questionable moral compass of men raised in a patriarchy (where they’ve been promised everything and nothing “is their fault” gives Cassie a license to do anything to punish them. Cassie gets to indulge in all of the pleasure that comes with a revenge thriller protagonist — she is cool under pressure, she’s  always in control, and, yes, violence is on the table. But because Promising Young Woman is led by a young woman with pretty pyjama sets who lives with her parents; the overt tenets of the revenge thriller feel fresh, different, and rebellious all at once. 

3. Weaponization of the Nice Guy.  The casting of Promising Young Woman is genius: Bo Burnham, Adam Brody, Max Greenfield — men women love to love. It is hard to imagine these guys, stars of beloved and iconic comedies, being the bad guy. But they are. And in their roles they get to the precipice of a bad decision so quickly it hurts. Filmmaker Fennell told the Los Angeles Times her main direction to Mulligan’s male co-stars was to imagine yourself in a romantic comedy. She wanted the feeling that a rom-com hero and a sexual predator could be interchangeable, and she achieved it so wholeheartedly it’s chilling. 

4. Genre as a Ruse.  Fennell goes a step further beyond using men and the pre-existing relationships her audience may have with those men. It’s likely a large portion of the audience for Promising Young Woman fawned over Adam Brody in The O.C., or has seen Bo Burnham sing in a comedy special, and then drawn hearts around his name in a notebook. That said, the painful dissection of the power men have in their interactions with women would serve society well if men consume this piece in equal amounts as their female counterparts. Fennell’s greatest sleight of hand in the piece is lulling the audience into thinking they are watching a rom-com throughout the second act of the film. Burnham’s turn as Ryan, an old friend that Cassie went to school with, is astounding. His charm jumps off the screen and it’s no wonder he’s the first and only man where Cassie lets her guard down. She even brings him home for a hysterically funny dinner with Mom and Dad. Don’t miss Jennifer Coolidge in her most understated and convincing role to date. But Promising Young Woman is decidedly not a rom-com, and Fennell is just waiting to pull the rug out from under her viewers who will be catching their breath every moment afterwards. This makes for an excellent study in how to play with genre to the writer’s advantage, and argues for putting in as many tricks of the trade as you can when “thriller” fits into your script’s rubric. 

5. Outstanding Aesthetics.  While Fennell undoubtedly wants her audience to stop and think, and at moments question if they even like what they’re watching, she also ensures Promising Young Woman is a fun ride. The soundtrack is all pop and classic rock. Paris Hilton’s “Stars Are Blind” will ring differently forever. Not to mention Fennell is well versed in her film references as Carrie’s hair, sunglasses and penchant for candy and gum feels like a nice “screw you” to the Lolita trope. There’s also a nod to Woman Under the Influence in Carrie’s most unhinged moments. The cornucopia of cotton candy neon visuals along with songs to keep you tapping your foot, and movie references galore are all a trip, but they are also a distraction from the one-two punch Fennel will turn around and smack you with. It’s a testament to Fennell’s ultimate plan to make a political and societal statement, and it’s clearly paying off. 

Final Takeaway: Fennell has said she wanted to make a film about female rage, heartbreak and horror all wrapped into one. She managed to do so through incredible genre subversion, astute film study that has emerged as something entirely new, and clever casting that will make an audience question everything they just believed a moment before. That’s why Promising Young Woman is getting much deserved buzz, and why it feels new and timeless all at once.