We Need to Do Something – Movie Review (3/5)

WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING is a horror movie with a lot of symbolism. Most of the movie takes place in one room. The only exception being a few flashbacks. It’s too long but has very strong moments. Read our full We Need to Do Something movie review here!

WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING is a new horror movie that plays out almost entirely in one room. A bathroom where a family is seeking shelter from a storm. The film has a lot of symbolism and not all of it is as easy to decipher as this film requires. As someone from the LGBTQ community, I can identify some of the subjects covered.

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However, I would not expect this to be easy for just anyone to catch onto. You need to pay close attention to the flashbacks and reactions of the teenage daughter to catch the details. And no, it’s not all-important to enjoy the film but the story is a bit messy without these details and facts.

Continue reading our We Need to Do Something movie review below.

A little less conversation, a little more action!

Overall, We Need to Do Something suffers from the one thing a “one location story” just cannot suffer from; Too much dialogue and not enough progress! We have seen quite a few amazing movies with one-location restraints. Hell, sometimes the films even feature just one actor on screen and it still works.

And I don’t mind dialogue-heavy movies. Not in the least. Hell, there are even moments where a monologue (often a story told by a character) can be the most intense and scary thing in the entire movie. For We Need to Do Something, there are just too many lulls in the pacing.

Also, the characters do stupid things and react in ways that are difficult to understand.

Strong little cast

For We Need to Do Something, we get four pretty cool characters – and awesome actors portraying them – caught in a rather large bathroom. In other words, there should be plenty to work with. However, the storyline does go around in circles a lot and much is never actually revealed. It just gets tired and boring, which I did not expect after the first half of the film.

I mean, the core cast consists of Pat Healy as the (very unlikable in every way) dad, Vinessa Shaw as the (loving and badass) mom, Sierra McCormick as the teen (and LGBTQ) daughter, and John James Cronin as the (obvious baby of the family) son.

We’ve loved Pat Healy in movies like Cheap Thrills (2013) and he played a very laidback character in the Hulu horror movie Run. His character in this new movie is the least favorite role of his, for me. Vinessa Shaw was awesome in Clinical and Family Blood and you may also know her from the 2006 The Hills Have Eyes.

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Sierra McCormick just starred in the two opening episodes of the new AHS spin-off American Horror Stories so she was fresh in my memory. She delivers a strong performance in We Need to Do Something.

Also, Sierra McCormick essentially carries the story and plays the only family member we see outside of the bathroom. This is in flashbacks with the character, Amy, played by Lisette Alexis who is also really good. More scenes with these two would have been a plus in terms of storytelling.

Watch We Need to Do Something in theaters or On-Demand!

Sean King O’Grady is the director of We Need to Do Something and he has landed a strong cast, which should have resulted in a better overall movie. At least, I expected more from this based on the cast and plot. This is the feature film debut of Sean King O’Grady as a director and hopefully, we’ll see more from him soon.

There was definite potential. Just also a lack of proper pacing, too long of a runtime, and more symbolism than needed. The latter might have more to do with the script than the directing.

The screenplay was written by Max Booth III and is based on a novella by him as well. I have not read the original story, so I can’t say how well it has been adapted here. However, since the author also wrote the screenplay, I can only assume it included whatever he felt was most important.

I would recommend watching this for about 75 percent of its runtime. However, the final 15 minutes or so go off on a tangent that doesn’t suit the overall movie. Not in my opinion, in any case. Sure, the actual final moments are pretty (bloody) awesome but they don’t hit nearly as hard due to the weak moments leading up to it.

We Need to Do Something is out in theaters and On-Demand from September 3, 2021.

Details

Director: Sean King O’Grady
Writer: Max Booth III
Stars: Sierra McCormick, Vinessa Shaw, Pat Healy, Lisette Alexis, John James Cronin