Borderline – Movie Review (4/5)

BORDERLINE is a new psychological comedy-thriller with some gorgeous slasher moments in the mix as well. There were so many surprising moments along the way, and I cannot wait to watch it again. Read our full Borderline (2025) movie review here!

BORDERLINE is a new psychological comedy-thriller out in theaters, and you do not want to miss out on it. Samara Weaving from The Babysitter (and many other movies, but we’ll get to that) stars, and if you enjoyed that movie, then this one will be a real treat.

WATCH THIS IF YOU ENJOYED…

The stories have nothing in common, but Companion is an obvious comparison >

We’re in the early 1990s, which isn’t a huge part of the plot, but it does mean no cellphones and a banger of a soundtrack. In fact, music plays a big part – a song even plays a key “role” in the movie at one point. The runtime is 94 minutes, and I did not want it to end!

Continue reading our Borderline (2025) movie review below. Find it in Theaters and On Digital from March 14, 2025.

A stalker goes off the rails

We’re in the 1990s, and a very persistent – and obviously deranged and dangerous – stalker (Smile 2’s Ray Nicholson) manages to get inside the home of a pop superstar (The Babysitter’s Samara Weaving).

This isn’t actually where the movie begins, but it is where most of the plot plays out.

You see, this very delusional stalker is convinced that the pop star, Sofia (just the one name, like Madonna), is his girlfriend. He has elaborate plans to marry her. In fact, he has it all lined up and is convinced that she is looking forward to this wedding.

Sofia must now depend on her loyal bodyguard (Grey’s Anatomy‘s Eric Dane) to intervene and save her. However, Sofia is quite good at fighting back as well. Plus, she has other people in her corner. Unfortunately, so does her stalker, and his companions are all psychopaths, so there’s that.

The bottom line (and the tagline of the movie) is that “He just wants to be loved; she just wants to survive.” Sounds awfully familiar in a scary fairytale kind of way, but this one has a few surprise twists and a wild ending.

Samara Weaving nails it yet again

Samara Weaving is as brilliant as ever. I can’t say I’m surprised because I have loved her in everything she’s ever done. Even when I don’t love a movie, she never disappoints. In particular, she nails these women who can be quite complex and do unexpected things.

In Borderline, she’s the femme fatale type who does what she wants using her feminine charms unabashedly, and I love it. Much like in The Babysitter, but at the same time, this becomes a survival story for her character. Not unlike in Ready or Not.

The brutal elements of violence and downright slasher-like moments are also quite familiar to Samara Weaving. After all, she was in Azrael, Guns Akimbo, and Mayhem as well. With Borderline, she’s delivering on everything I love her for… and then some!

While I expected to enjoy Samara Weaving in this, I was surprised that I loved everyone else in this movie just as much.

Ray Nicholson (who looks more like his father, Jack Nicholson, every day) is just mesmerizing in a way that is terrifying yet extremely funny at times as well. Sure, you’re laughing from shock or disgust often, but it’s still an honest laugh that you cannot hold back.

Alba Baptista made a lasting impression

Eric Dane is practically the “straight man” in the comedy moments. The one who takes a step back and tries to do the smart and reasonable thing while clearly knowing this is a WTF!-situation.

The same could be said for Jimmie Fails and his character – a treat I won’t spoil here, but I loved him in this. Particularly in the third act, where he plays a key part.

The big surprise for me – though it really shouldn’t be – was Alba Baptista from Warrior Nun. She plays Penny, an escaped mental patient having the time of her life, and she is even more terrifying than Ray Nicholsen’s stalker.

While I loved everyone in Borderline, Alba Baptista was the surprise treat for me. In fact, there’s an obvious spin-off possibility in exploring her origin story. I’d want to watch that immediately!

Watch Borderline in Theaters and on Digital

Jimmy Warden is the writer and director of Borderline. He is also married to star Samara Weaving, and before you “worry” about this, you should know that he also wrote The Babysitter: Killer Queen and Cocaine Bear. This is his debut as a director and it’s a success.

Also, Borderline is produced by Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment, and Margot Robbie does not produce bad movies.

The entire storyline and vibe of Borderline is exactly what I love about genre-mix movies. And whenever you’re dealing with a movie that features dark comedy, violence, and even psychological thriller elements, the cast must work.

Also, these hybrid genre movies require very specific (often quite different) things from each actor. All of them deliver in Borderline. Enjoy this delicious genre treat – and know that you’ll never be able to listen to Celine Dion’s “Think Twice” the same way again.

If you can, go watch this in a theater with an audience to share in this madness. You can always watch it again on Digital later, and trust me, you will want to.

Borderline is Out in Theaters and On Digital from March 14, 2025.

Details

Director: Jimmy Warden
Writer: Jimmy Warden
Cast: Samara Weaving, Eric Dane, Ray Nicholson, Jimmie Fails, Alba Baptista