The Sleepover Review: My Mother, the Jewel Thief – The New York Times

When a parent or spouse is revealed to have a secret identity, its supposed to be a game changer. The information invites a total recalibration of the relationship. Trish Sies uninspired action-comedy The Sleepover, now streaming on Netflix, follows this formula superficially, but never grounds the reveal, or its consequences, in much emotional truth.

Without that core believability, the kidnapping of Margot (Malin Akerman), a former jewel thief and current domesticated mother, never upends the familys dynamics convincingly because her life has so little detail. The oafish Kevin (Maxwell Simkins) and the awkward cellist Clancy (Sadie Stanley), her children who embark on an adventure to save her, have unsure chemistry as siblings, and their jabs at one another feel forced and unnatural. Ken Marino, too, feels out of place as her husband Ron. Hes presented not only as ordinary to a point of mockery but also as the films source of its wackiest attempted jokes.

Exploring the intricacies of personal relationships when the terms have been redefined is fertile ground. Doing so through the spy genre can offer insight into who we really are and who we are playing for someone. But The Sleepover barely imagines the new role that Margot takes on after her life of crime, while her previous role is too clichd and nonspecific.

As The Sleepover juggles the genres of heist movie, action thriller, scavenger hunt and teen/tween comedy, it never finds an identity which it slips into effortlessly, the way a good thief can.

The SleepoverNot rated. Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes. Watch on Netflix.

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The Sleepover Review: My Mother, the Jewel Thief - The New York Times

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero